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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — in golf
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ground — crushed
  6. land — to come down
  7. current — of water
  8. chip — to eat
  9. land — a country
  10. bound — certain
  11. swing — music
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chip — for betting
  14. land — ground
  15. bound — obliged
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. current — electric
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bound — tied together
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. ground — a position
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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