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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spell — letters
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stand — to bear
  5. drill — the tool
  6. spell — a short time
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bound — certain
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spell — magic
  17. bound — obliged
  18. lie — to recline
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. drill — army training
  24. current — of water

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