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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. current — electric
  3. mate — to breed
  4. swing — to play on
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. swing — music
  7. rash — a series
  8. game — a match
  9. mug — a face
  10. current — of water
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. current — happening now
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pound — a weight
  18. band — a music group
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mug — a cup
  22. band — a ring
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pound — for dogs

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