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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 124 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. pop — soda
  5. march — music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. current — happening now
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pop — music
  11. march — the month
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pop — to visit
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. march — the month
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bass — low music
  24. straw — dry grass

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