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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. current — happening now
  3. bat — the animal
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. swing — music
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. swing — to play on
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. swing — in golf
  12. current — electric
  13. roll — a list
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. current — of water
  24. rush — hurry

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