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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chair — a leader
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. firm — decided
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mark — a trace
  13. spring — a coil
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. current — electric
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. firm — a company
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. firm — steady
  23. current — happening now
  24. chair — a professorship

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