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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. current — of water
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. swing — music
  7. kick — in football
  8. court — of a king
  9. rest — what's left
  10. current — electric
  11. court — of law
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pass — a permit
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. swing — to play on
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. scale — in music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. current — happening now
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pass — to spend time

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