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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. current — of water
  3. object — to protest
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wind — moving air
  8. current — electric
  9. bound — certain
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. object — an aim
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cell — in biology
  18. object — a thing
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. current — happening now
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lean — thin

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