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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. suit — clothes
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. net — for catching
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. spell — letters
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chair — a leader
  12. suit — in cards
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. suit — to fit
  17. net — after costs
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. swing — music
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. current — electric
  23. swing — to play on
  24. net — in 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