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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bass — low music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cue — for pool
  10. current — electric
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. current — of water
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tear — to rip
  20. cue — a signal
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. current — happening now
  24. date — the fruit

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