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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. swing — in golf
  3. spell — magic
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. current — happening now
  7. last — finally
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spell — letters
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spell — a short time
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. last — final
  18. stock — goods
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — to go on
  21. current — of water
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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