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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. scale — size or range
  4. current — of water
  5. pit — a hole
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chip — for betting
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. capital — money
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pit — in a race
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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