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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. present — a gift
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. current — of water
  6. present — there
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. present — the time now
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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