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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stand — to bear
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cap — a lid
  10. chest — a box
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cap — a hat
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. game — wild animals
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chip — for betting
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cap — of ice

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