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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. current — happening now
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. swing — to play on
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. march — music
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. march — the month
  14. staff — employees
  15. current — of water
  16. march — the month
  17. root — the cause
  18. swing — music
  19. current — electric
  20. root — of a word
  21. staff — employees
  22. root — of a plant
  23. swing — in golf
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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