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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. perch — the fish
  3. chest — of your body
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — a skill
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. craft — boats
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. current — electric
  16. chair — a leader
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. chest — a box
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitch — completely
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. current — happening now

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