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

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. present — the time now
  6. current — electric
  7. season — of the year
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. game — a match
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. present — there
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. season — in sport
  14. current — of water
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. swing — music
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wind — moving air
  19. swing — in golf
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. swing — to play on
  22. present — a gift
  23. stand — to bear
  24. game — wild animals

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