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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mug — a face
  4. current — electric
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pop — music
  8. row — a line
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fork — in a road
  12. pop — soda
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. current — of water
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. current — happening now
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pop — to visit
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. row — to paddle

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