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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. roll — a list
  6. pop — to visit
  7. current — happening now
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. race — a contest
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. key — in music
  12. pop — music
  13. current — of water
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. race — humankind
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. key — the most important part
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. current — electric
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pop — soda
  24. race — the arms race

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