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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cold — not warm
  4. date — the fruit
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cold — an illness
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. current — of water
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mate — a partner
  16. current — electric
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mate — a friend
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. current — happening now
  24. nail — on a finger

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