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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rest — a break
  3. fall — to drop
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — the season
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spring — the season
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spring — a coil
  16. chair — a leader
  17. current — of water
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spring — of water
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chair — a professorship

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