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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cap — of ice
  4. current — electric
  5. bass — low music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cap — a lid
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rash — a series
  12. current — happening now
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. current — of water
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bass — the fish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chest — a box
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cap — a hat

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