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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 116 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. present — the time now
  6. current — electric
  7. present — a gift
  8. current — of water
  9. cold — not warm
  10. net — in sport
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chair — a leader
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. current — happening now
  21. shower — to wash
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. present — there
  24. chair — a professorship

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