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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fine — all right
  6. bark — to shout
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rush — hurry
  10. season — in sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. file — a document
  19. current — happening now
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. current — electric
  23. season — of the year
  24. file — a tool

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