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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. craft — a skill
  3. current — happening now
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. current — electric
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rest — a break
  10. current — of water
  11. lean — to bend
  12. charge — in control
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rest — what's left

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