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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cue — for pool
  3. current — happening now
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. current — electric
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chair — a leader
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. degree — an amount
  11. current — of water
  12. cue — a signal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. land — to come down
  16. cue — a hint
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. degree — temperature
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. degree — from a university

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