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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 120 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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fall — to drop
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. fall — the season
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. swing — music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rush — hurry
  10. current — electric
  11. drill — the tool
  12. swing — to play on
  13. fall — to drop
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. drill — a practice
  16. sharp — clever
  17. drill — army training
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. band — a ring
  20. plane — a tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. band — a music group

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