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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rash — hasty
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. hand — help
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chair — a leader
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cue — a signal
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. current — of water
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. current — happening now
  20. rash — a series
  21. cue — a hint
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. current — electric
  24. net — in sport

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