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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bass — low music
  7. squash — to crush
  8. current — happening now
  9. race — humankind
  10. current — of water
  11. mark — a grade
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. content — happy
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. squash — the sport
  17. game — a match
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. game — wild animals
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. current — electric
  24. content — the amount

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