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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. scale — in music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — a leader
  5. current — electric
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. scale — size or range
  10. current — happening now
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. current — of water
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. land — a country
  23. lie — to recline
  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