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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fine — all right
  3. stem — to come from
  4. suit — in cards
  5. spell — magic
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. current — of water
  11. suit — to fit
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. current — happening now
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spell — a short time
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. current — electric
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. band — a music group
  24. spell — letters

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