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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. shower — rain
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. tear — to rip
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fine — all right
  13. staff — employees
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fine — high quality
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. staff — a stick
  20. current — happening now
  21. staff — employees
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. stand — to bear

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