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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. chip — for betting
  3. game — a match
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fine — all right
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bass — low music
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cell — in biology
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. chip — to eat
  23. toast — bread
  24. fine — high quality

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