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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pound — a weight
  9. current — electric
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. kid — to tease
  13. current — of water
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. track — to keep track
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. current — happening now
  18. kick — in football
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. shower — rain
  22. kid — child
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chair — a leader

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