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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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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. current — of water
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. squash — the sport
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. rash — a series
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. court — of a king
  14. staff — employees
  15. court — for sport
  16. staff — a stick
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — of law
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. squash — to crush
  24. chair — a leader

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