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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 116 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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cue — a signal
  5. current — electric
  6. cell — in biology
  7. swing — music
  8. file — a tool
  9. last — finally
  10. current — of water
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. file — a document
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cell — a phone
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. last — to go on
  20. game — a match
  21. file — a line of people
  22. last — final
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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