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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bat — the animal
  3. current — of water
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. last — final
  6. band — a music group
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. last — finally
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. squash — the sport
  12. current — electric
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. last — to go on
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. current — happening now
  19. chair — a leader
  20. band — a ring
  21. bound — obliged
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stand — to bear

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