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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fall — to drop
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rock — a stone
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. ground — a position
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bass — low music
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — the earth
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. swing — music
  19. current — electric
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rock — music
  24. ground — crushed

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