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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. spell — letters
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. current — happening now
  9. row — to paddle
  10. current — electric
  11. lie — to recline
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — to grow
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cell — a phone
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — magic
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. swing — to play on
  22. spell — a short time
  23. swing — music
  24. cell — in biology

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