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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. squash — the sport
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. present — the time now
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. ball — a dance
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fine — high quality
  13. present — there
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fine — all right
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. ball — a great time
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. present — a gift
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chip — for betting

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