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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. current — of water
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rock — music
  6. roll — a list
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. current — electric
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chair — a leader
  18. roll — a cake
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. game — a match
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. current — happening now
  24. game — wild animals

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