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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. ground — a position
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. club — a group
  9. rule — government
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. club — for golf
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bass — low music
  23. rule — a law
  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