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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chair — a leader
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. swing — to play on
  17. current — electric
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. roll — a cake
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. sharp — with an edge

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