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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ground — crushed
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. file — a document
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chip — to eat
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. ground — the earth
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ground — a position
  20. bass — low music
  21. date — the fruit
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bass — the fish
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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