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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mate — a partner
  5. game — wild animals
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. race — humankind
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. race — a contest
  21. game — a match
  22. scale — in music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bat — the animal

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