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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. kid — to tease
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. club — for golf
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bass — the fish
  16. ground — the earth
  17. kid — child
  18. game — a match
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. ground — a position
  22. game — wild animals
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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