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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 120 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pit — a hole
  5. ground — a position
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. current — of water
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pit — in a race
  13. swing — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. current — electric
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spring — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. spring — the season
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. lie — to recline
  23. chip — for betting
  24. swing — in golf

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