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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: rock · hide · bass · chest · face · racket · current · fan

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. face — to confront
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. current — happening now
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chest — of your body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bass — the instrument

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