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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bass — low music
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. row — a line
  7. bass — the fish
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mate — a partner
  10. race — humankind
  11. rush — hurry
  12. drill — a practice
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. file — a line of people
  17. drill — the tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. chip — to eat
  20. file — a tool
  21. race — a contest
  22. drill — army training
  23. file — a document
  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