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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 120 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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. shower — rain
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. chair — a leader
  9. dip — to sink
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. current — of water
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. drill — a practice
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. current — happening now
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. current — electric
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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