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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pop — music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pop — soda
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. current — electric
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pop — to visit
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. game — a match
  18. bass — low music
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chair — to sit on

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