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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. march — the month
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pound — a weight
  8. snap — to click
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. court — for sport
  11. bass — low music
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. hand — help
  15. cap — a hat
  16. court — of law
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. court — of a king
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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