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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lie — to recline
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bass — low music
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wind — moving air
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chip — to eat
  24. perch — the fish

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