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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. current — happening now
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. current — of water
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. swing — in golf
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bat — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rest — what's left
  16. current — electric
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rest — a break
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. swing — music
  24. mouse — for a computer

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