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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cell — a phone
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. spell — letters
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. spell — magic
  12. current — electric
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. current — happening now
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stock — goods
  24. cell — in a prison

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