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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.

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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
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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: chair · current · squash · object · board · degree · wave · foot

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. object — an aim
  5. squash — to crush
  6. chair — a leader
  7. squash — the sport
  8. board — to get on
  9. current — of water
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. object — to protest
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. board — a committee
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. foot — a measure
  21. object — a thing
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. squash — the vegetable

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