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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bat — the animal
  3. current — electric
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chair — a leader
  12. current — of water
  13. staff — employees
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bass — low music
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bass — the fish
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. prune — to trim
  23. current — happening now
  24. temple — a place of worship

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