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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. tube — a container
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bass — low music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. ground — a position
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bass — the fish
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. tube — the underground
  21. perch — the fish
  22. game — wild animals
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. game — a match

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