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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: pop · cold · deal · foot · mate · current · bowl · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. current — happening now
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mate — a partner
  10. deal — to handle
  11. current — electric
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. current — of water
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pop — music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mate — to breed

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