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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tube — a container
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bass — low music
  9. spring — of water
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. tube — the underground
  14. scale — in music
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chip — to eat
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spring — the season
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rule — government
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. spring — a coil
  24. chip — for betting

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