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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. mug — a cup
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lie — to recline
  9. current — happening now
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mug — to rob
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. clip — a video
  19. stand — to bear
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mug — a face
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. clip — for paper

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