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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. current — happening now
  4. degree — temperature
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. degree — an amount
  7. current — electric
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. current — of water
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. band — a ring
  14. dip — to sink
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. band — a music group
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chair — a leader

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