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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. current — happening now
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. scale — in music
  7. land — ground
  8. key — the most important part
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rest — what's left
  11. key — for a lock
  12. land — to come down
  13. bass — low music
  14. key — in music
  15. current — of water
  16. rest — what's left
  17. current — electric
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rest — a break
  24. land — a country

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