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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rash — a series
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bass — low music
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ground — a position
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. scale — size or range
  15. object — to protest
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. scale — in music
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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