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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. current — electric
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. hand — in cards
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bass — low music
  12. net — in sport
  13. rule — government
  14. craft — boats
  15. snap — to click
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bass — the fish
  18. current — happening now
  19. rule — a law
  20. net — after costs
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. net — for catching
  24. current — of water

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