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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. hand — help
  6. pop — to visit
  7. land — ground
  8. current — electric
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. land — a country
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. swing — in golf
  14. land — to come down
  15. current — happening now
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stem — to come from
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mate — to breed
  21. hand — in cards
  22. current — of water
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mate — a partner

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