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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chip — to eat
  3. season — of the year
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pit — a hole
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. season — in sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. snap — to click
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bass — low music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pit — in a race
  24. chip — for betting

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