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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. charge — a price
  3. bass — low music
  4. current — electric
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. chest — a box
  7. bass — the fish
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. current — of water
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kid — child
  13. mark — a trace
  14. charge — in control
  15. bark — to shout
  16. kid — to tease
  17. current — happening now
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. chest — of your body
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a committee
  23. charge — electricity
  24. mark — a grade

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