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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. current — happening now
  5. chair — a leader
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. current — electric
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. current — of water

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