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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · board · file · chest · current · swing · present · hand

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pop — to visit
  3. current — of water
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. present — the time now
  7. board — a committee
  8. file — a line of people
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. swing — music
  13. present — a gift
  14. file — a document
  15. hand — help
  16. swing — in golf
  17. present — there
  18. pop — music
  19. board — to get on
  20. pop — soda
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. swing — to play on

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