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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. current — happening now
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. current — electric
  5. bear — the animal
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. net — in sport
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fall — to drop
  10. shower — rain
  11. fall — to drop
  12. net — for catching
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fall — the season
  16. current — of water
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. shower — to wash
  19. net — after costs
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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