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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of a king
  4. current — of water
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. current — electric
  10. swing — music
  11. toast — bread
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. swing — to play on
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. current — happening now
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cabinet — ministers

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