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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 120 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bass — low music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bass — the fish
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mine — for digging
  12. present — there
  13. ground — a position
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. present — the time now
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. chip — for betting
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. present — a gift
  24. ruler — for measuring

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