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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 124 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bass — the fish
  7. present — there
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fine — all right
  14. kick — in football
  15. race — humankind
  16. fine — high quality
  17. race — a contest
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. chip — to eat
  20. present — a gift
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bass — low music
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. kick — a thrill

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