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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — of water
  4. bass — low music
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. current — electric
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. spell — letters
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. current — happening now
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bass — the fish
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. spell — magic
  20. rash — hasty
  21. toast — bread
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. drill — army training
  24. cabinet — ministers

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