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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chair — a leader
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — letters
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fall — the season
  18. toast — bread
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. lie — to recline
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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