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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bass — low music
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rule — a law
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. chip — to eat
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — for betting
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rule — government
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rule — to rule out

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