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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. current — electric
  8. cold — an illness
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bass — low music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. current — of water
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. current — happening now
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. saw — the tool
  24. nail — on a finger

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