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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. cold — an illness
  5. current — electric
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. file — a tool
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bass — low music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. file — a line of people
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mark — a grade
  22. file — a document
  23. chair — a leader
  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