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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. degree — from a university
  8. current — happening now
  9. cue — a signal
  10. current — electric
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cue — for pool
  13. current — of water
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tear — from crying
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rest — a break
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rest — what's left

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