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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. spell — letters
  3. current — electric
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rest — a break
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. current — of water
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spell — a short time
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — a position
  14. swing — to play on
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spell — magic
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rest — what's left
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. current — happening now
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rest — what's left
  24. swing — music

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