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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. current — electric
  4. swing — in golf
  5. staff — employees
  6. current — of water
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. staff — employees
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. current — happening now
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. staff — a stick
  17. deal — to handle
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. swing — to play on
  21. clip — for paper
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fan — a supporter
  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