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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stand — to bear
  3. row — a line
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. degree — temperature
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. current — of water
  9. chest — of your body
  10. degree — from a university
  11. chest — a box
  12. shower — to wash
  13. current — electric
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chair — a leader
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. chest — of your body
  22. current — happening now
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. degree — an amount

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