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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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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. current — of water
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. land — a country
  9. hand — in cards
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — low music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. current — electric
  15. spring — the season
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — the fish
  19. hand — help
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. row — to paddle
  22. current — happening now
  23. spring — of water
  24. racket — a loud noise

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