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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. current — happening now
  5. bass — the fish
  6. band — a music group
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. chest — a box
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. current — electric
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. band — a ring
  18. current — of water
  19. scale — in music
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. scale — size or range
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bowl — to roll

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