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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cap — of ice
  3. squash — the sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rush — hurry
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pound — a weight
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cap — a lid
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bass — low music
  22. branch — a division
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cap — a hat

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