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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. squash — to crush
  5. current — happening now
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. current — electric
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. current — of water
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bass — low music
  19. squash — the sport
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bat — the animal
  24. sharp — clever

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