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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chair — a leader
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stem — to come from
  10. current — electric
  11. bank — for money
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. current — of water
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. court — of law
  18. bank — of a river
  19. court — for sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. drill — army training
  23. wound — an injury
  24. court — of a king

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