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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pitch — completely
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. club — for dancing
  8. current — of water
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. vault — a safe
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. current — happening now
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. row — a line
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. current — electric
  22. shower — to wash
  23. chair — a leader
  24. shower — rain

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