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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fine — all right
  4. field — a subject
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bass — low music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. current — electric
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. current — happening now
  11. field — for sport
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. band — a music group
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bass — the fish
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. band — a ring
  23. field — farmland
  24. ruler — for measuring

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