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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. swing — in golf
  3. kid — child
  4. current — of water
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bank — for money
  10. current — electric
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cell — a phone
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. snap — to click
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cell — in biology
  18. swing — music
  19. track — a song
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bank — for money
  22. track — a path
  23. current — happening now
  24. arm — part of the body

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