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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. swing — in golf
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. cold — not warm
  9. scale — in music
  10. cold — an illness
  11. land — ground
  12. current — of water
  13. board — a committee
  14. swing — music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. board — to get on
  18. swing — to play on
  19. scale — size or range
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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