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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. board — a committee
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. kid — child
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. game — a match
  19. swing — music
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. stand — to bear

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