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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 116 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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kid — child
  5. current — electric
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. file — a document
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. current — of water
  12. kid — to tease
  13. file — a tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. file — a line of people
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. swing — to play on
  24. current — happening now

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