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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bank — for money
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. race — a contest
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bank — for money
  17. race — humankind
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bass — the fish

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