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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. current — happening now
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. current — electric
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. row — to paddle
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bass — the fish
  12. row — a line
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. fine — high quality
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — rain
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bass — low music
  22. fine — all right
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. current — of water

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