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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bound — certain
  3. current — happening now
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. field — a subject
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. lie — to recline
  11. current — electric
  12. rest — what's left
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chair — a leader
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. current — of water
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. field — for sport

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