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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bass — low music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. race — a contest
  10. current — happening now
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. race — humankind
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. face — part of the head
  16. current — of water
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. perch — the fish
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. face — to confront
  23. current — electric
  24. snap — to click

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