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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. swing — in golf
  4. drill — army training
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. swing — music
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — electric
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. drill — a practice
  13. branch — a division
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. clip — a video
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. toast — bread
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. drill — the tool
  21. current — of water
  22. swing — to play on
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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