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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. current — electric
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lean — thin
  7. current — of water
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. swing — music
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hand — help
  14. lean — to bend
  15. suit — in cards
  16. scale — size or range
  17. swing — to play on
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. scale — in music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. current — happening now
  24. swing — in golf

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