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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · kid · toast · lash · sharp · dip · chair · current

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. current — happening now
  3. kid — to tease
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. current — of water
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. net — for catching
  13. dip — to sink
  14. net — after costs
  15. current — electric
  16. net — in sport
  17. kid — child
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. toast — bread
  21. sharp — clever
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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