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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. current — of water
  3. cap — of ice
  4. shower — rain
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cap — a lid
  7. drill — the tool
  8. land — a country
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. current — electric
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. land — to come down
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rash — a series
  18. cap — a hat
  19. drill — army training
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. current — happening now
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rash — on the skin

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