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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. firm — a company
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. swing — music
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. current — of water
  8. vault — a safe
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. firm — steady
  11. swing — in golf
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. current — happening now
  14. kick — in football
  15. swing — to play on
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. firm — decided
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bat — the animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bat — in an idiom

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