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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wake — a trail
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spring — the season
  6. current — electric
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. current — of water
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. current — happening now
  13. kick — in football
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spring — of water
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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