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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. current — electric
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. shower — rain
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. shower — to wash
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chair — a leader
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pitch — completely
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. charge — a price
  24. trunk — of a tree

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