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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. current — happening now
  3. pop — soda
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pop — to visit
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. current — of water
  13. pop — music
  14. mate — to breed
  15. track — a path
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mate — a friend
  19. track — a song
  20. mate — a partner
  21. dip — to sink
  22. current — electric
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bass — the fish

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