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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. current — of water
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spring — of water
  6. season — in sport
  7. chip — to eat
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. shower — rain
  10. chip — for betting
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. scale — in music
  15. current — happening now
  16. season — of the year
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. shower — to wash
  23. current — electric
  24. land — to come down

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