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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bass — the fish
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. snap — to click
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. pit — in a race
  14. land — to come down
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wound — an injury
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. current — happening now
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bass — low music
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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