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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — size or range
  9. swing — music
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bound — obliged
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bound — certain
  16. staff — employees
  17. current — of water
  18. bound — tied together
  19. staff — employees
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. current — electric
  22. staff — a stick
  23. scale — in music
  24. current — happening now

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