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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. spell — magic
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cold — not warm
  5. shower — rain
  6. current — of water
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. drill — army training
  10. spell — letters
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. current — electric
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. drill — a practice
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cold — an illness
  24. shower — to wash

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