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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. mug — a face
  3. current — electric
  4. swing — in golf
  5. current — of water
  6. last — finally
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bound — certain
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bound — tied together
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. current — happening now
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mine — for digging
  17. snap — to click
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mug — a cup
  20. last — to go on
  21. mug — to rob
  22. last — final
  23. mine — an explosive
  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