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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. race — the arms race
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. perch — the fish
  6. season — in sport
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. season — of the year
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bass — low music
  14. club — for golf
  15. race — humankind
  16. club — for dancing
  17. chip — to eat
  18. race — a contest
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. club — a group
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. season — to add flavour

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