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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. current — electric
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. key — in music
  9. current — happening now
  10. squash — the sport
  11. swing — music
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. squash — to crush
  15. current — of water
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. branch — a division
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. date — the fruit
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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