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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. staff — employees
  5. chest — a box
  6. present — there
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chest — of your body
  11. face — to confront
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hand — help
  14. face — part of the head
  15. current — electric
  16. foot — a measure
  17. face — to point toward
  18. staff — a stick
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. present — a gift

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