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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bass — low music
  4. mug — a cup
  5. scale — in music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — help
  9. clip — for paper
  10. hand — in cards
  11. clip — a video
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. current — happening now
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — of water
  16. clip — to cut
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mug — a face
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. current — electric

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