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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. chest — a box
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. current — electric
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cap — a lid
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. net — for catching
  11. shower — rain
  12. chest — of your body
  13. club — for dancing
  14. current — of water
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. net — in sport
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. current — happening now
  20. cap — a hat
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — after costs
  24. cap — of ice

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