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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. swing — to play on
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bear — the animal
  7. drill — army training
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. current — happening now
  10. swing — music
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. drill — a practice
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. net — in sport
  15. current — of water
  16. stand — to bear
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. net — after costs
  20. lean — thin
  21. bear — the animal
  22. current — electric
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. net — for catching

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