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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. file — a document
  5. court — for sport
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mug — a face
  8. file — a tool
  9. current — happening now
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. court — of law
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bass — the fish
  16. key — in music
  17. mug — to rob
  18. court — of a king
  19. mug — a cup
  20. key — for a lock
  21. file — a line of people
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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