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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. dip — to sink
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bass — low music
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. game — a match
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. chair — a leader
  15. squash — the sport
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. current — of water
  24. dip — a sauce

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