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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. shower — rain
  7. suit — to fit
  8. snap — to click
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — of water
  12. chair — a leader
  13. current — happening now
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. suit — in cards
  17. current — electric
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. shower — to wash
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cell — a phone
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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