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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pop — to visit
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. swing — in golf
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. swing — music
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pop — music
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. current — happening now
  14. swing — to play on
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — to crush
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. current — electric
  21. key — for a lock
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pop — soda
  24. key — in music

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