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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · mate · wind · current · prune · fine · temple · pitch

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. current — happening now
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fine — high quality
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wind — moving air
  21. current — of water
  22. prune — to trim
  23. current — electric
  24. mate — a friend

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