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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. current — of water
  5. foot — a measure
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. tear — from crying
  8. current — happening now
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. chair — a leader
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. row — a line
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. track — a path
  19. current — electric
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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