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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. snap — to click
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chair — a leader
  12. current — electric
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. current — happening now
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. field — farmland
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cue — a signal
  19. current — of water
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. can — to be able to

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