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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. current — happening now
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chair — a leader
  7. current — of water
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. object — an aim
  17. ball — a dance
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pit — in a race
  20. object — to protest
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pit — a hole
  24. current — electric

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