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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. branch — a division
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chip — to eat
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chip — for betting
  18. rash — a series
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. march — music
  21. bass — low music
  22. march — the month
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bass — the instrument

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