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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rock — music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. current — electric
  15. rule — a law
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rule — government

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