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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. swing — in golf
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — hasty
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. root — of a word
  8. swing — music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. march — music
  11. root — the cause
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. current — happening now
  14. pitch — completely
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. cap — of ice
  22. march — the month
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rash — a series

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