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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fine — high quality
  4. kid — to tease
  5. land — to come down
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. land — a country
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bass — low music
  12. kid — child
  13. fine — all right
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. land — ground
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rock — a stone
  22. degree — an amount
  23. chip — to eat
  24. rock — 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