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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. march — music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. current — happening now
  9. pit — in a race
  10. current — electric
  11. march — the month
  12. swing — in golf
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. march — the month
  15. current — of water
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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