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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 124 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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. prune — to trim
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — happening now
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. court — of law
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. date — the fruit
  14. chest — a box
  15. court — of a king
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bass — the fish
  18. board — to get on
  19. chest — of your body
  20. current — electric
  21. board — a committee
  22. prune — to trim
  23. court — for sport
  24. date — on the calendar

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