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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. current — electric
  4. ball — a dance
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bass — the fish
  8. race — the arms race
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — humankind
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. game — wild animals
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. game — a match
  16. current — of water
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. race — a contest
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. current — happening now
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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