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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. current — of water
  5. staff — employees
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — electric
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. current — happening now
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. staff — a stick
  19. craft — a skill
  20. degree — temperature
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. craft — boats
  23. staff — employees
  24. hide — animal skin

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