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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bound — certain
  3. current — happening now
  4. march — music
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. current — electric
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. current — of water
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. land — ground
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cap — a lid
  19. swing — to play on
  20. land — to come down
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — in golf
  23. march — the month
  24. land — a country

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