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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. spring — of water
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spring — the season
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. game — a match
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cap — a lid
  12. swing — to play on
  13. current — of water
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cap — a hat
  16. swing — music
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cell — a phone
  19. spring — a coil
  20. current — happening now
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — in biology
  24. current — electric

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