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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stand — to bear
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. current — of water
  6. mate — a partner
  7. swing — to play on
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. current — electric
  11. drill — army training
  12. mate — to breed
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. swing — in golf
  19. current — happening now
  20. pound — a weight
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pound — for dogs

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