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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. scale — in music
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. current — happening now
  7. swing — music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. swing — to play on
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. roll — a list
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wound — an injury
  16. can — a tin
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. scale — size or range
  21. current — of water
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. current — electric

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