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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. squash — to crush
  3. current — of water
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. squash — the sport
  11. chair — a leader
  12. ball — a dance
  13. spell — a short time
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. club — for dancing
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. last — finally
  20. club — a group
  21. last — to go on
  22. club — for golf
  23. last — final
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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