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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mug — to rob
  4. land — to come down
  5. current — electric
  6. hand — in cards
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. current — happening now
  9. bass — low music
  10. mug — a face
  11. pitch — completely
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. land — a country
  21. current — of water
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — the fish
  24. land — ground

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