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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cap — a lid
  6. band — a ring
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. band — a music group
  10. current — of water
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cap — a hat
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cap — of ice
  18. current — happening now
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  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