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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 116 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. current — electric
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bank — for money
  10. land — to come down
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. land — ground
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bank — of a river
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bank — for money
  23. land — a country
  24. bulb — for light

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