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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. march — the month
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. current — happening now
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chair — a leader
  15. swing — in golf
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. current — electric
  18. swing — to play on
  19. march — the month
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. current — of water
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. march — music
  24. swing — 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