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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. toast — bread
  3. field — farmland
  4. race — the arms race
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. field — for sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bass — low music
  12. current — electric
  13. race — humankind
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. field — a subject
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. race — a contest
  24. coach — a trainer

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