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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. drill — army training
  3. current — electric
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. drill — the tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. current — of water
  12. band — a ring
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. band — a music group
  15. scale — size or range
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. drill — a practice
  20. current — happening now
  21. cap — a hat
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. scale — in music
  24. fan — a supporter

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