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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. row — a line
  5. branch — a division
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. current — of water
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. court — for sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. row — to paddle
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ground — crushed
  23. squash — the sport
  24. ground — a position

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