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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · hide · swing · current · chair · pound

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. 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. chair — a professorship
  2. pound — a weight
  3. file — a line of people
  4. current — happening now
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. current — electric
  7. file — a document
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. file — a tool
  15. swing — to play on
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. 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