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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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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: lie · cue · face · current · bass · snap · can · ground

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. ground — a position
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. current — electric
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. current — happening now
  9. can — a tin
  10. face — to confront
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bass — low music
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bass — the fish
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. ground — crushed
  18. snap — to click
  19. face — part of the head
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. current — of water

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