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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bass — low music
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. current — happening now
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cold — an illness
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. current — of water
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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