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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. current — happening now
  3. shower — to wash
  4. net — for catching
  5. fine — all right
  6. current — electric
  7. object — a thing
  8. club — a group
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. club — for dancing
  11. object — an aim
  12. club — for golf
  13. fine — high quality
  14. net — after costs
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. net — in sport
  17. current — of water
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. shower — rain
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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