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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chip — for betting
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bass — the fish
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. land — ground
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. last — final
  13. chip — to eat
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. last — to go on
  17. land — to come down
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. last — finally
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — a country

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