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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. current — happening now
  4. rock — music
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. current — of water
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rock — a stone
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. present — there
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. present — a gift
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. current — electric
  23. present — the time now
  24. row — a quarrel

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