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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. pop — soda
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chip — to eat
  7. row — a line
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mug — a face
  10. drill — a practice
  11. current — happening now
  12. pop — music
  13. drill — army training
  14. bass — low music
  15. rest — a break
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pop — to visit

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