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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. current — happening now
  3. court — of a king
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. march — the month
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chair — a leader
  8. march — the month
  9. current — of water
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wax — to grow
  12. file — a document
  13. court — of law
  14. file — a tool
  15. court — for sport
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. current — electric
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. craft — boats
  22. file — a line of people
  23. march — music
  24. chair — to sit on

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