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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lean — to bend
  4. degree — from a university
  5. drill — army training
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. current — electric
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cold — an illness
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. current — happening now
  14. rock — a stone
  15. degree — temperature
  16. drill — a practice
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rock — music
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. current — of water
  23. cold — not warm
  24. chair — to sit on

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