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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 116 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bank — for money
  3. kick — in football
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. current — electric
  6. bank — for money
  7. current — happening now
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bass — low music
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bank — of a river
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — of water
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rash — hasty
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rash — a series

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