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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rule — government
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rule — a law
  5. race — a contest
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. race — humankind
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. branch — a division
  12. bass — low music
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. race — the arms race
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pitch — completely
  22. chair — a leader
  23. squash — to crush
  24. chair — to sit on

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