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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. face — to confront
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. swing — to play on
  6. key — in music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. face — to point toward
  9. current — happening now
  10. swing — music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. current — electric
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. present — there
  19. face — part of the head
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. clip — to cut

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