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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. current — of water
  3. chest — a box
  4. swing — in golf
  5. current — electric
  6. band — a ring
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. band — a music group
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. current — happening now
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chest — of your body

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