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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. current — happening now
  2. board — to get on
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. chair — a leader
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. degree — temperature
  9. clip — a video
  10. wake — a trail
  11. clip — for paper
  12. current — electric
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. board — a committee
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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