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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. swing — music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. swing — in golf
  6. current — electric
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rule — a law
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. board — to get on
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. current — of water
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rule — government
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. clip — a video
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. board — a committee
  23. current — happening now
  24. board — a flat piece

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