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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. chair — a leader
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. chip — to eat
  11. mine — for digging
  12. squash — the sport
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. snap — to click
  16. bass — low music
  17. race — humankind
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. squash — to crush
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. patient — a sick person

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