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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chair — a leader
  3. can — to be able to
  4. squash — the sport
  5. clip — for paper
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. can — a tin
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. clip — a video
  19. bass — low music
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. clip — to cut
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wave — with your hand

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