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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. swing — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mug — a cup
  5. current — happening now
  6. charge — a price
  7. cap — of ice
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. charge — electricity
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mug — to rob
  15. charge — in control
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. craft — boats
  18. wound — an injury
  19. swing — in golf
  20. current — of water
  21. cap — a hat
  22. current — electric
  23. mug — a face
  24. swing — to play on

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