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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. band — a music group
  2. rash — a series
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. dip — to sink
  7. current — happening now
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. bass — low music
  13. current — of water
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rash — hasty
  16. last — final
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. current — electric
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. band — a ring
  23. row — a line
  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