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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bass — low music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. current — happening now
  5. game — a match
  6. ground — a position
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. snap — to click
  9. game — wild animals
  10. current — electric
  11. scale — in music
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. current — of water
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bass — the fish
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mouse — the animal

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