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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bass — low music
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. tear — from crying
  12. current — happening now
  13. club — for golf
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. club — a group
  20. tear — from crying
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. current — electric
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bowl — a football final

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