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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. key — in music
  5. mate — to breed
  6. current — happening now
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stand — to bear
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. key — for a lock
  20. net — in sport
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bat — the animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stand — for spectators

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