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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. chair — a leader
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. squash — the sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. squash — to crush
  10. net — after costs
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. current — happening now
  13. net — in sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. current — electric
  18. foot — a measure
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. chair — to sit on

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