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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. shower — rain
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — a country
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. land — to come down
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. current — of water
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kid — child
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. shower — to wash
  17. current — happening now
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. land — ground
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. current — electric
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fall — the season

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