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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bass — low music
  6. content — the amount
  7. current — electric
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. current — of water
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. current — happening now
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. prune — to trim
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the sport
  17. content — happy
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — to wash
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bass — the fish

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