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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. degree — temperature
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chair — a leader
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. craft — boats
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. kid — child
  20. current — of water
  21. saw — the tool
  22. craft — a skill
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. degree — an amount

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