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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. firm — decided
  4. current — happening now
  5. chest — of your body
  6. board — a committee
  7. current — electric
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spring — of water
  10. board — to get on
  11. pop — music
  12. firm — steady
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. chest — a box
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pop — soda
  19. current — of water
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chest — of your body
  22. firm — a company
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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