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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. game — a match
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — a trace
  5. current — happening now
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bat — the animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. hand — in cards
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. hand — help
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. current — of water
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. current — electric
  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