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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. current — happening now
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. current — of water
  10. snap — to click
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. current — electric
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. shower — rain
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. net — after costs
  22. chair — a leader
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stand — to bear

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