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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · mate · mark · chair · chip · press · cell · bass

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chair — a leader
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mark — a trace
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mark — a grade
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bass — low music
  23. chip — to eat
  24. press — to push

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