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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. current — electric
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. press — newspapers
  9. sharp — clever
  10. swing — music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. current — happening now
  15. wound — an injury
  16. press — a publisher
  17. board — to get on
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. swing — to play on
  20. current — of water
  21. press — to push
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wound — an injury

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