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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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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: current · degree · saw · can · spell · rock · bass · game

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. can — a tin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. can — to be able to
  4. spell — letters
  5. rock — music
  6. current — of water
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bass — the fish
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. can — a tin
  15. game — a match
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. game — wild animals
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bass — low music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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