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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. board — to get on
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. can — to be able to
  5. current — electric
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. current — happening now
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. spring — a coil
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. scale — size or range
  13. board — a committee
  14. spring — of water
  15. pop — music
  16. spring — the season
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. can — a tin
  20. pop — to visit
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — soda
  24. current — of water

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