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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. track — a path
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. tear — from crying
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. current — happening now
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. chair — a leader
  16. track — to keep track
  17. snap — to click
  18. bass — the fish
  19. track — a song
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bass — low music
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chair — a professorship

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