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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bass — low music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. current — of water
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. season — in sport
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pop — music
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pop — soda
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. current — electric
  16. mine — for digging
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. season — of the year
  19. pop — to visit
  20. current — happening now
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bass — the fish
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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