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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bound — obliged
  3. race — humankind
  4. cell — in biology
  5. net — in sport
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lie — to recline
  8. race — a contest
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bass — low music
  14. net — for catching
  15. bound — certain
  16. race — the arms race
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. net — after costs
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lie — an untruth

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