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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. drill — the tool
  3. scale — in music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. current — of water
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. current — happening now
  10. drill — army training
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. craft — a skill
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. sharp — clever
  16. scale — size or range
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. pound — a weight
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. current — electric
  23. drill — a practice
  24. craft — boats

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