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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. game — wild animals
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chip — for betting
  13. season — of the year
  14. chip — to eat
  15. foot — a measure
  16. season — in sport
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. game — a match

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