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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. firm — decided
  4. chair — a leader
  5. craft — boats
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. current — electric
  9. cold — an illness
  10. craft — a skill
  11. current — happening now
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. current — of water
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. firm — steady
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cold — not warm
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. hide — to keep secret

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