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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. current — of water
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mate — a partner
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bulb — for light
  8. swing — music
  9. root — the cause
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mate — to breed
  13. rock — music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rock — a stone
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bound — obliged
  18. game — wild animals
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bound — certain
  21. current — electric
  22. root — of a word
  23. current — happening now
  24. rock — to move gently

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