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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tube — a container
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. shower — rain
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. current — electric
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pitch — completely
  16. toast — bread
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. current — happening now
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. current — of water
  24. fan — to cool the air

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