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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 · can · dip · bat · cap · firm · shower · bass

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. current — electric
  4. firm — steady
  5. shower — to wash
  6. can — a tin
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cap — a lid
  9. firm — decided
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bass — low music
  12. can — a tin
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cap — of ice
  18. current — happening now
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cap — a hat
  21. firm — a company
  22. current — of water
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bass — the fish

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