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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. current — of water
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bass — low music
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. current — happening now
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bat — the animal
  21. date — the fruit
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bat — in an idiom

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