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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. race — a contest
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. current — electric
  11. race — humankind
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. current — of water
  14. bass — low music
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — happening now
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bulb — for light
  23. race — the arms race
  24. saw — the tool

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