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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: current · bass · firm · straw · pitcher · sharp · deal · race

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. firm — decided
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. current — electric
  6. bass — low music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. firm — steady
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. race — a contest
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. race — the arms race
  13. current — happening now
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bass — the fish
  21. race — humankind
  22. current — of water
  23. firm — a company
  24. sharp — exactly

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