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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. perch — the fish
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. chip — for betting
  13. hand — help
  14. chip — to eat
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. deal — to handle
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mate — a friend
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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