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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. sharp — clever
  3. club — for golf
  4. current — of water
  5. scale — in music
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mate — a partner
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. branch — a division
  14. club — for dancing
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. club — a group
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mate — to breed
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bass — low music
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. scale — for weighing

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