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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. board — to get on
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. current — electric
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. season — in sport
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. can — a tin
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. season — of the year
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. capital — money
  16. chair — a leader
  17. capital — a city
  18. can — a tin
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. current — happening now
  21. fork — in a road
  22. current — of water
  23. board — a committee
  24. chair — to sit on

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