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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. file — a line of people
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. net — after costs
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. net — in sport
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — for catching
  16. file — a document
  17. chair — a leader
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. file — a tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. current — happening now

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