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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bound — tied together
  5. key — for a lock
  6. current — happening now
  7. key — in music
  8. bound — obliged
  9. current — electric
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — for sport
  13. rush — hurry
  14. chair — a leader
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bound — certain
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. current — of water
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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