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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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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: chair · content · pitch · bass · fan · current · present · spell

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. current — electric
  2. pitch — completely
  3. spell — letters
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bass — the fish
  6. present — there
  7. content — the amount
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bass — low music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. content — happy
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. current — happening now
  15. spell — a short time
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. current — of water
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. spell — magic
  23. fan — a supporter
  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