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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bound — certain
  3. current — electric
  4. cap — a lid
  5. key — for a lock
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cap — a hat
  8. current — of water
  9. fork — in a road
  10. key — the most important part
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. spell — magic
  17. current — happening now
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. swing — music
  22. cap — of ice
  23. spell — letters
  24. key — in music

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