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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cold — not warm
  5. track — a song
  6. current — electric
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. board — to get on
  12. current — happening now
  13. track — a path
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mark — a trace
  16. board — a committee
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mark — a grade
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bass — low music
  21. snap — to click
  22. saw — the tool
  23. track — to keep track
  24. current — of water

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