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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cue — a hint
  4. stem — to come from
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. current — happening now
  17. mine — for digging
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. current — of water
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. current — electric

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