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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cold · bass · saw · kick · hide · bowl · band

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. kick — in football
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bass — the fish
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cold — not warm
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cold — an illness
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. band — a music group
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bass — low music
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. current — happening now
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. band — a ring
  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