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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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. current — happening now
  3. fall — the season
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fall — to drop
  8. charge — in control
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mug — a face
  11. current — electric
  12. charge — electricity
  13. kid — child
  14. saw — the tool
  15. current — of water
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mug — a cup
  21. charge — a price
  22. kid — to tease
  23. shower — rain
  24. mug — to rob

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