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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. spring — a coil
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. march — the month
  7. bass — low music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spring — of water
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. present — the time now
  13. march — music
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. cell — in biology
  19. spring — the season
  20. march — the month
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. current — of water

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