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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rash — hasty
  5. club — for dancing
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. club — a group
  8. rash — a series
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chip — to eat
  12. ground — a position
  13. chip — for betting
  14. club — for golf
  15. ground — the earth
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. roll — a cake
  23. ground — crushed
  24. roll — a list

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