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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cell — in biology
  3. content — the amount
  4. foot — a measure
  5. current — electric
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. plane — a tool
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pitch — completely
  23. content — happy
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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