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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wound — an injury
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. season — of the year
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. current — electric
  11. season — in sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. current — happening now
  16. chair — a leader
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. current — of water
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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