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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. swing — in golf
  3. game — wild animals
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. lean — to bend
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. track — a song
  12. game — a match
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bound — certain
  15. current — electric
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bound — tied together
  18. chest — a box
  19. dip — to sink
  20. swing — music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. track — a path
  23. lean — thin
  24. chest — of your body

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