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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bass — the fish
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bass — low music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. charge — a price
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mate — to breed
  13. charge — in control
  14. ground — the earth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. charge — electricity
  17. squash — the sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mate — a partner
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ground — a position
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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