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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pop — to visit
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mug — to rob
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pop — soda
  15. mug — a face
  16. game — a match
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bass — low music
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. pop — music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rule — government

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