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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wound — an injury
  5. scale — in music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cap — a hat
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bass — low music
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bass — the fish
  22. chip — to eat
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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