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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. pit — in a race
  4. net — for catching
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. current — electric
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pound — a weight
  11. net — after costs
  12. current — of water
  13. net — in sport
  14. kid — child
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rash — a series
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. current — happening now
  24. rash — on the skin

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