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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. current — electric
  3. swing — music
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a song
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mate — to breed
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. track — a path
  16. bark — to shout
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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