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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. current — happening now
  3. game — a match
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tube — the underground
  8. face — part of the head
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. game — wild animals
  11. face — to point toward
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tube — a container
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. face — to confront
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. current — electric
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. scale — in music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. current — of water

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