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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. current — electric
  3. swing — music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. season — of the year
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. key — for a lock
  8. swing — to play on
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. key — in music
  12. date — the fruit
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. swing — in golf
  16. current — happening now
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. current — of water
  23. season — in sport
  24. straw — a straw man

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