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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bass — low music
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. stock — shares
  12. land — a country
  13. stock — goods
  14. current — happening now
  15. ground — the earth
  16. current — of water
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. ground — a position

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