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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. current — happening now
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chair — a leader
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. current — of water
  7. face — to point toward
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. face — to confront
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pop — music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. shower — to wash
  16. face — part of the head
  17. shower — rain
  18. current — electric
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pop — to visit
  24. scale — in music

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