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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. scale — size or range
  3. current — electric
  4. snap — to click
  5. bass — low music
  6. bank — of a river
  7. scale — in music
  8. bank — for money
  9. hand — help
  10. pit — a hole
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. current — happening now
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. hand — in cards
  15. current — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bank — for money
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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