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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pop — to visit
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. firm — a company
  5. current — electric
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. current — of water
  8. bass — low music
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — thin
  13. season — of the year
  14. bass — the fish
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. fall — the season
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — steady
  19. pop — music
  20. current — happening now
  21. lean — to bend
  22. season — in sport
  23. pop — soda
  24. fall — to drop

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