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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. present — the time now
  4. current — electric
  5. game — a match
  6. current — of water
  7. shower — rain
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. shower — to wash
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. present — there
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fall — the season
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. present — a gift
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  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