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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. mate — a friend
  3. swing — to play on
  4. current — electric
  5. swing — music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hand — help
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chip — to eat
  11. roll — a cake
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. swing — in golf
  14. roll — a list
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. squash — to crush
  18. lie — to recline
  19. chip — for betting
  20. hand — in cards
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mate — to breed
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chip — in 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