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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. current — happening now
  3. bass — the fish
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. capital — money
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. capital — a city
  14. firm — steady
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cold — an illness
  19. firm — decided
  20. swing — music
  21. firm — a company
  22. bass — low music
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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