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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. last — final
  4. current — electric
  5. last — to go on
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bass — low music
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wake — a trail
  10. current — of water
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. last — finally
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. current — happening now
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kick — in football

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