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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bound — certain
  3. object — a thing
  4. swing — in golf
  5. object — to protest
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bound — obliged
  8. swing — music
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bound — tied together
  14. swing — to play on
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. game — a match
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. current — happening now

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