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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bass — low music
  3. stock — goods
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bass — the fish
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. tube — a container
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stock — shares
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. drill — army training
  20. current — of water
  21. tube — the underground
  22. drill — the tool
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. tube — in a tire

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