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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. deal — to handle
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. court — of a king
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. current — happening now
  17. swing — music
  18. rush — hurry
  19. court — of law
  20. current — of water
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. swing — in golf
  24. court — for sport

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