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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cold — not warm
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. present — there
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bass — low music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rash — a series
  11. mug — a cup
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. present — the time now
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cold — an illness
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mug — a face
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bear — the animal

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