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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. shower — rain
  4. row — a line
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. current — of water
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. row — to paddle
  12. shower — to wash
  13. current — happening now
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bank — for money
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bank — of a river
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bank — for money
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. current — electric

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