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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. swing — in golf
  3. current — happening now
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. shower — rain
  7. last — final
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. swing — music
  12. last — to go on
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rush — hurry
  17. deal — to handle
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. swing — to play on
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. last — finally

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