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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. swing — in golf
  3. scale — size or range
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ball — a dance
  6. current — of water
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. current — electric
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. swing — to play on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. swing — music
  23. current — happening now
  24. scale — in music

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