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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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. court — of law
  4. mine — for digging
  5. present — there
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. rest — a break
  8. present — the time now
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. scale — size or range
  12. current — of water
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. present — a gift
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — of a king
  21. current — happening now
  22. scale — in music
  23. court — for sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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