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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. chip — to eat
  3. march — music
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chip — for betting
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. content — happy
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bass — low music
  16. current — electric
  17. bass — the fish
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. content — the amount
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bass — the instrument

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