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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 116 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pop — soda
  3. current — happening now
  4. pop — to visit
  5. current — electric
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pop — music
  10. current — of water
  11. fall — the season
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. race — a contest
  14. object — a thing
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fall — to drop
  17. race — the arms race
  18. object — to protest
  19. race — humankind
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — low music
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bass — the fish
  24. object — an aim

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