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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 116 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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. swing — in golf
  3. tube — the underground
  4. current — happening now
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rest — what's left
  7. degree — from a university
  8. current — electric
  9. tube — a container
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rest — a break
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kid — to tease
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pass — a permit
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. kid — child
  24. pass — to succeed

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