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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — the season
  4. face — to point toward
  5. current — electric
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. current — happening now
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bass — low music
  11. charge — in control
  12. bound — certain
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. current — of water
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bound — tied together
  17. face — to confront
  18. bound — obliged
  19. charge — a price
  20. bass — the fish
  21. can — a tin
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. can — to be able to
  24. face — part of the head

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