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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fork — in a road
  8. clip — for paper
  9. spring — the season
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. squash — to crush
  12. current — of water
  13. bass — low music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. spring — 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