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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. firm — decided
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ground — crushed
  5. current — happening now
  6. band — a music group
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. firm — a company
  11. ground — the earth
  12. row — to paddle
  13. current — of water
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. current — electric
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. ground — a position
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. firm — steady
  20. bear — the animal
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bear — the animal
  24. band — a ring

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