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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. board — to get on
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spell — magic
  5. swing — music
  6. pop — music
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pop — soda
  12. current — electric
  13. season — in sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. board — a committee
  16. spell — letters
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rush — hurry
  21. band — a music group
  22. current — happening now
  23. swing — in golf
  24. spell — a short time

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