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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wound — an injury
  5. roll — a list
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. current — of water
  8. swing — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bound — obliged
  12. current — electric
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bound — certain
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. current — happening now
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. swing — to play on
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. sharp — exactly

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