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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. chair — a leader
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — happening now
  15. craft — a skill
  16. kid — to tease
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. craft — boats
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. current — of water
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. kid — child
  23. current — electric
  24. pass — to spend time

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