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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mate — to breed
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bass — low music
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chip — to eat
  17. staff — employees
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitch — completely
  20. chair — a leader
  21. season — in sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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