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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. tube — a container
  3. drill — the tool
  4. club — a group
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bound — obliged
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. current — of water
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. swing — in golf
  14. club — for golf
  15. bound — certain
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. swing — music
  18. bound — tied together
  19. dip — to sink
  20. club — for dancing
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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