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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. row — a line
  3. scale — size or range
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bass — the fish
  7. band — a music group
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bass — low music
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. roll — a cake
  12. current — happening now
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. band — a ring
  16. roll — a list
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. scale — in music
  22. current — of water
  23. shower — rain
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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