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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. net — after costs
  3. swing — music
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. hand — in cards
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. swing — to play on
  10. net — in sport
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. net — for catching
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pop — soda
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. lie — to recline
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. current — of water
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. hand — help
  24. pop — 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