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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bass — low music
  3. field — farmland
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. field — for sport
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. chip — to eat
  17. field — a subject
  18. fine — all right
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. present — a gift

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