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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. current — happening now
  3. land — ground
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. current — of water
  8. bass — low music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rule — government
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hand — help
  15. land — to come down
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. current — electric
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. land — a country
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rule — a law

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