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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mate — a partner
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mate — to breed
  10. current — electric
  11. shower — rain
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. current — happening now
  15. board — to get on
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. current — of water
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rush — a thrill

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