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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. current — happening now
  3. roll — a cake
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fall — to drop
  8. toast — bread
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. current — of water
  11. stock — goods
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fall — the season
  14. bass — low music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. roll — a list
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. current — electric
  21. stock — shares
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stock — a soup base

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