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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. current — electric
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mug — a cup
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. club — for golf
  7. rock — a stone
  8. current — happening now
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hand — help
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. hand — in cards
  14. current — of water
  15. mug — to rob
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mug — a face
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. tube — a container
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. club — a group
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rock — music

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