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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mug — to rob
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. squash — the sport
  10. present — the time now
  11. staff — employees
  12. mug — a face
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. chip — for betting
  15. squash — to crush
  16. present — a gift
  17. mug — a cup
  18. staff — employees
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stem — to come from
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bass — low music
  24. chip — to eat

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