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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pop — music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. swing — in golf
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. roll — a list
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — to visit
  19. roll — a cake
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to click
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pop — soda
  24. swing — 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