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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · board · swing · current · hand · tear · mine · mate

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. tear — from crying
  3. current — of water
  4. swing — in golf
  5. board — to get on
  6. current — happening now
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. hand — help
  9. mine — for digging
  10. club — for golf
  11. tear — to rip
  12. swing — music
  13. club — a group
  14. swing — to play on
  15. board — a committee
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. tear — from crying
  22. current — electric
  23. mate — a friend
  24. club — for dancing

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