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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. charge — a price
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stem — to come from
  6. spell — letters
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bass — the fish
  11. squash — to crush
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spell — a short time
  14. current — happening now
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bass — low music
  17. current — electric
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. current — of water
  21. charge — electricity
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. spell — magic
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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