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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. swing — to play on
  5. current — of water
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. current — electric
  10. court — of law
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. dip — to sink
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pass — a permit
  20. swing — in golf
  21. current — happening now
  22. swing — music
  23. row — a line
  24. dip — to dunk

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