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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rock — a stone
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bass — low music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. current — of water
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chest — a box
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chest — of your body
  24. shower — to wash

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