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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bass — low music
  5. mug — a face
  6. current — of water
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bass — the fish
  13. scale — in music
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. scale — size or range
  17. charge — a price
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. current — electric
  22. charge — in control
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wound — an injury

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