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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. shower — to wash
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. spell — magic
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. current — of water
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. current — electric
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. shower — rain
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — not warm
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. chair — a leader
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. current — happening now

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