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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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 — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. spell — a short time
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. last — finally
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. last — final
  14. spell — magic
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spell — letters
  21. last — to go on
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cold — not warm
  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