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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. current — happening now
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cell — a phone
  6. current — electric
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cell — in biology
  11. hand — help
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bass — the fish
  16. current — of water
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bass — low music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bass — the instrument

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