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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. current — happening now
  3. file — a document
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. file — a tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. current — of water
  18. squash — the sport
  19. current — electric
  20. file — a line of people
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hand — help

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