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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. board — a committee
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bass — the fish
  6. current — of water
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — low music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. board — to get on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. current — electric

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