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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. current — happening now
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. spell — letters
  5. wind — moving air
  6. vault — a safe
  7. current — electric
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spell — a short time
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. present — the time now
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kid — to tease
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. kid — child
  19. spell — magic
  20. swing — to play on
  21. current — of water
  22. stand — to bear
  23. present — a gift
  24. swing — music

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