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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. current — happening now
  5. court — of law
  6. last — final
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. suit — to fit
  10. court — of a king
  11. rest — what's left
  12. swing — music
  13. court — for sport
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. last — finally
  16. suit — clothes
  17. spell — letters
  18. mine — for digging
  19. last — to go on
  20. rest — a break
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mine — belonging to me

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