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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bass — low music
  4. cue — for pool
  5. ground — a position
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. shower — rain
  9. cap — a hat
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fine — all right
  16. cue — a hint
  17. current — electric
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cap — of ice
  21. band — a ring
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bass — the fish

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