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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bass — the fish
  10. game — a match
  11. bass — low music
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. band — a music group
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. current — electric
  20. saw — the tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fall — to drop
  23. saw — the tool
  24. game — wild animals

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