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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. current — electric
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. content — happy
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. swing — music
  11. current — of water
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. ground — a position
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. current — happening now
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. content — the amount

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