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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fall — to drop
  5. land — ground
  6. game — wild animals
  7. current — happening now
  8. bass — low music
  9. fall — the season
  10. current — of water
  11. dip — to sink
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. land — to come down
  14. march — the month
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. current — electric
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. march — music
  20. land — a country
  21. bass — the fish
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. game — a match

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