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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. drill — the tool
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. pop — to visit
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. current — happening now
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. current — electric
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. club — for golf
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. current — of water
  21. drill — a practice
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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