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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. court — of a king
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. current — of water
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rule — government
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. board — a committee
  10. degree — an amount
  11. court — of law
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. degree — from a university
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. current — electric
  23. board — to get on
  24. court — 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