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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. can — a tin
  4. current — of water
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. court — for sport
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bank — for money
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bank — for money
  12. field — farmland
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. court — of law
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. current — happening now
  18. can — a tin
  19. mark — a trace
  20. current — electric
  21. bank — of a river
  22. mark — a grade
  23. can — to be able to
  24. court — of a king

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