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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. swing — to play on
  3. spring — of water
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. current — happening now
  9. net — in sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. current — electric
  13. bulb — for light
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. board — to get on
  17. current — of water
  18. bulb — for light
  19. board — a committee
  20. spring — the season
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. swing — music
  23. chest — a box
  24. fan — to cool the air

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