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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. current — of water
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fine — all right
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. drill — army training
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. can — to be able to
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fine — high quality
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. bark — to shout
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. can — a tin

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