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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 120 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. swing — music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. current — electric
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. field — a subject
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. swing — to play on
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. key — in music
  15. board — to get on
  16. current — of water
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mine — for digging
  19. key — the most important part
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. pit — a hole
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. swing — in golf

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