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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. current — of water
  3. kid — to tease
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — a line
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. swing — to play on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bear — the animal
  16. swing — music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stock — goods
  21. lie — to recline
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kid — child

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