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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · current · bound · tube · swing · bass · game · sharp

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. swing — in golf
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bass — low music
  5. current — happening now
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bound — certain
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. swing — music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. tube — a container
  12. current — of water
  13. game — a match
  14. sharp — clever
  15. current — electric
  16. bound — obliged
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bound — tied together
  21. snap — to click
  22. bass — the fish
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. game — a kind of play

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