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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. current — happening now
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bound — certain
  9. swing — to play on
  10. march — music
  11. net — for catching
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. swing — in golf
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bound — obliged
  16. net — in sport
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. key — for a lock
  19. swing — music
  20. net — after costs
  21. march — the month
  22. current — electric
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bound — tied together

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