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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bass — low music
  3. current — electric
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. key — in music
  6. club — a group
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. staff — employees
  10. current — happening now
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bass — the fish
  14. staff — employees
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. current — of water
  18. club — for dancing
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. key — for a lock
  23. club — for golf
  24. bass — the instrument

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