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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. current — electric
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bass — the fish
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ground — a position
  9. current — happening now
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bass — low music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. current — of water
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bat — the animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. game — a match

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