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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: mate · foot · arm · chair · mine · pitch · current · bore

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. current — electric
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mate — to breed
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pitch — completely
  16. foot — a measure
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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