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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pop — soda
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. season — of the year
  6. chip — to eat
  7. season — in sport
  8. band — a music group
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. kid — to tease
  11. band — a ring
  12. kid — child
  13. pop — to visit
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. scale — in music
  16. pop — music
  17. bass — low music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chip — in a computer

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