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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. net — in sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cap — a hat
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. charge — in control
  17. squash — to crush
  18. charge — electricity
  19. net — after costs
  20. bass — low music
  21. charge — a price
  22. cap — of ice
  23. net — for catching
  24. cap — a lid

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