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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — in sport
  6. game — a match
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mug — a cup
  11. season — of the year
  12. band — a music group
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mug — to rob
  19. scale — in music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. scale — size or range
  22. swing — music
  23. band — a ring
  24. current — happening now

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