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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bass — the fish
  3. board — to get on
  4. current — of water
  5. mug — a face
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mug — a cup
  9. deal — to handle
  10. tear — from crying
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. current — electric
  13. fall — to drop
  14. board — a committee
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bass — low music
  18. mug — to rob
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — the season
  24. deal — an agreement

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