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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bass — the fish
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. current — of water
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bore — to tire
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bass — low music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. toast — bread
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. current — electric
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. current — happening now
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. roll — a cake

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