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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 120 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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. current — electric
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. pop — music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. current — of water
  9. last — final
  10. pop — soda
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. current — happening now
  18. last — to go on
  19. bulb — for light
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pop — to visit
  24. last — finally

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