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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. sharp — clever
  4. squash — to crush
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. club — a group
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. bark — to shout
  10. club — for dancing
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. club — for golf
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bass — the fish
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bass — low music
  24. squash — the sport

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