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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. chair — a leader
  5. current — happening now
  6. net — in sport
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fine — all right
  10. swing — music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. net — for catching
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. net — after costs
  18. current — of water
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. fine — high quality
  23. current — electric
  24. swing — in golf

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