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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stock — goods
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ground — the earth
  10. current — of water
  11. ground — a position
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stock — shares
  14. ball — a dance
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pit — a hole
  19. current — electric
  20. pit — in a race
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bass — low music
  23. cap — a lid
  24. ball — a great time

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