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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. face — part of the head
  3. shower — rain
  4. band — a ring
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. face — to confront
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. current — of water
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. band — a music group
  21. current — happening now
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. swing — in golf
  24. band — a rubber band

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