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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chair — a leader
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. current — electric
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mug — a face
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. current — happening now
  11. tube — a container
  12. scale — in music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. current — of water
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mug — a cup
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mug — to rob

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