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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. current — electric
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. last — finally
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. press — a publisher
  11. last — to go on
  12. current — happening now
  13. chest — a box
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bear — the animal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. last — final
  18. current — of water
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitch — completely
  23. scale — in music
  24. swing — in golf

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