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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. swing — in golf
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. roll — a cake
  5. scale — size or range
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. current — electric
  8. scale — in music
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. file — a document
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. current — happening now
  15. present — a gift
  16. swing — to play on
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. current — of water
  21. swing — music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. present — there
  24. roll — a list

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