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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. squash — to crush
  10. current — happening now
  11. pop — soda
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. current — of water
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bass — low music
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. scale — in music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. current — electric
  22. cell — in biology
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pop — music

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