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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. cold — an illness
  2. current — happening now
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pass — a permit
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. current — electric
  10. court — for sport
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. firm — decided
  14. court — of a king
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. current — of water
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. scale — in music
  19. cold — not warm
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — a company
  22. swing — music
  23. court — of law
  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