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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mine — for digging
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bound — certain
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. content — happy
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bound — tied together
  19. scale — in music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. content — the amount
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bound — obliged

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