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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cap — a lid
  3. net — for catching
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — in sport
  7. current — electric
  8. ground — the earth
  9. dip — to sink
  10. current — of water
  11. cue — a hint
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. ground — a position
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. kick — in football
  18. ground — crushed
  19. net — after costs
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. current — happening now
  24. chair — a professorship

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