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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. roll — a list
  5. cue — a signal
  6. current — of water
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. roll — a cake
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rock — music
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bass — low music
  23. current — happening now
  24. rock — a stone

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