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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. current — of water
  3. track — to keep track
  4. current — electric
  5. saw — the tool
  6. track — a path
  7. current — happening now
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. ground — the earth
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ground — crushed
  14. track — a song
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bass — low music
  21. stock — goods
  22. ground — a position
  23. stock — shares
  24. jam — in traffic

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