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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. toast — bread
  3. hand — in cards
  4. race — a contest
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. net — in sport
  9. current — electric
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. net — for catching
  12. current — happening now
  13. club — a group
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bass — the fish
  17. club — for golf
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bass — low music
  20. hand — help
  21. club — for dancing
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. current — of water
  24. net — after costs

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