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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. current — of water
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. current — electric
  8. rash — hasty
  9. swing — in golf
  10. hand — help
  11. swing — music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. current — happening now
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. kick — in football
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rash — a series
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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