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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. current — happening now
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bass — low music
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. snap — to click
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bound — tied together
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. current — of water
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bound — certain
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rock — a stone

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