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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. current — happening now
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cap — of ice
  7. plane — a tool
  8. current — electric
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. toast — bread
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. cap — a hat
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chest — a box
  16. chair — a leader
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. cap — a lid
  21. current — of water
  22. bank — of a river
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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