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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: hand · mouse · row · press · bass · current · sharp · spell

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. spell — letters
  4. bass — the fish
  5. current — of water
  6. bass — low music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. row — a line
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. press — to push
  18. current — electric
  19. spell — a short time
  20. current — happening now
  21. spell — magic
  22. press — newspapers
  23. row — to paddle
  24. press — a publisher

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