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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bass — the fish
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pop — music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. current — electric
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bass — low music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. race — a contest
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — to visit
  15. hand — help
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pop — soda
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. race — humankind
  24. nail — for a hammer

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