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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. squash — to crush
  5. chip — for betting
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. bass — the fish
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mark — a grade
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mark — a trace
  19. press — to push
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bass — low music
  22. land — to come down
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. press — newspapers

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