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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. current — electric
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fine — all right
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. branch — a division
  11. mine — for digging
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fine — high quality
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. charge — in control
  20. current — of water
  21. bat — the animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fine — a penalty

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