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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. game — a match
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. swing — music
  13. spring — of water
  14. suit — in cards
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chair — a leader
  18. swing — in golf
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. current — happening now
  21. pop — soda
  22. swing — to play on
  23. spring — the season
  24. game — wild animals

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