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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: shower · sharp · fall · bound · chip · bass · content · current

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bass — the fish
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. current — of water
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. current — electric
  8. shower — rain
  9. current — happening now
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bound — certain
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chip — to eat
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bass — low music
  18. bound — obliged
  19. shower — to wash
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. chip — for betting
  22. fall — the season
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fall — to drop

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