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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. firm — a company
  3. shower — to wash
  4. scale — size or range
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. field — farmland
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. scale — in music
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. firm — decided
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. field — for sport
  15. firm — steady
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. shower — rain
  19. field — a subject
  20. current — happening now
  21. chair — a leader
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rock — 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