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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pop — soda
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fine — all right
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. spell — magic
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fine — high quality
  10. current — of water
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. current — electric
  13. pop — music
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. current — happening now
  20. spell — a short time
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spell — letters

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