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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. last — final
  4. current — electric
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. dip — to sink
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. last — finally
  10. game — wild animals
  11. current — happening now
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. current — of water
  16. rock — music
  17. last — to go on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. game — a match
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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