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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
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: foot · can · ground · kick · content · current · chair · bat

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. kick — in football
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. current — electric
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. current — happening now
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. can — a tin
  11. current — of water
  12. ground — a position
  13. can — a tin
  14. foot — a measure
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bat — the animal
  17. can — to be able to
  18. content — the amount
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. content — happy
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. ground — the earth
  24. content — videos and posts

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