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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · current · row · lie · charge · shower · dip · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. row — a line
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. lie — to recline
  7. charge — electricity
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chest — a box
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. shower — rain
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. current — happening now
  15. dip — to sink
  16. current — of water
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. row — to paddle
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — in control
  22. current — electric
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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