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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. current — electric
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. charge — in control
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. spring — the season
  10. charge — electricity
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. charge — a price
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. current — happening now
  15. spring — of water
  16. current — of water
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spring — a coil
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. clip — a video
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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