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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. staff — employees
  3. drill — army training
  4. staff — employees
  5. bass — the fish
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bass — low music
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. current — electric
  12. drill — a practice
  13. shower — to wash
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. current — of water
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. staff — a stick
  20. shower — rain
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chest — a box
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. current — happening now

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