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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 116 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. row — a line
  2. firm — steady
  3. hand — help
  4. bass — the fish
  5. firm — a company
  6. scale — in music
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. current — electric
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. current — happening now
  13. scale — size or range
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. drill — army training
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. drill — the tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. hand — in cards
  20. firm — decided
  21. bass — low music
  22. drill — a practice
  23. current — of water
  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