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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. chip — to eat
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. present — there
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mark — a trace
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ground — a position
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mark — a grade
  16. present — the time now
  17. rash — a series
  18. present — a gift

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com