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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: present · drill · club · lie · toast · lean · current · chair

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. club — for golf
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. present — the time now
  6. chair — a leader
  7. drill — a practice
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. current — of water
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. present — there
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. toast — bread
  15. present — a gift
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. current — electric
  18. drill — the tool
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — a group
  21. lean — thin
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. drill — army training
  24. lie — to recline

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