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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pass — a permit
  10. sharp — clever
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cell — in biology
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bass — the fish
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cell — a phone
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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