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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — final
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. current — electric
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — to go on
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mug — to rob
  13. last — finally
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mug — a cup
  18. object — to protest
  19. current — happening now
  20. object — an aim
  21. bass — low music
  22. mug — a face
  23. object — a thing
  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