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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 120 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. current — of water
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. current — happening now
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rash — a series
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. current — electric
  12. swing — in golf
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. last — final
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rash — hasty
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kick — in football
  20. swing — to play on
  21. branch — a division
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. arm — a part of something

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