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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. current — of water
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. board — a committee
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. game — wild animals
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. game — a match
  15. swing — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — for digging
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. swing — to play on
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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