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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. scale — size or range
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. race — a contest
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spring — of water
  13. rash — a series
  14. ground — a position
  15. bass — low music
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. spring — a coil
  19. ground — crushed
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rash — hasty
  23. race — humankind
  24. fan — a supporter

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