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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. firm — decided
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. firm — steady
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. root — of a plant
  14. current — electric
  15. root — of a word
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. root — the cause
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. firm — a company
  20. pitch — completely
  21. current — happening now
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fork — a garden tool

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