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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. mine — for digging
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fine — all right
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. roll — a cake
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. current — of water
  20. roll — a list
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stand — for spectators

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