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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. race — a contest
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chip — to eat
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rash — hasty
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rash — a series
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. race — humankind
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — the arms race
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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