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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.

Make a worksheet

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: date · rule · current · bass · cell · tube · coach · perch

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. current — electric
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. perch — the fish
  7. current — happening now
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cell — a phone
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. bass — low music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. cell — in biology
  17. current — of water
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. date — the fruit
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rule — a law

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