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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. vault — a safe
  4. lean — thin
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rock — music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. current — of water
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. scale — in music
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. swing — to play on
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. current — happening now
  22. lean — to bend
  23. swing — music
  24. rock — a stone

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