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

Word bank: current · pound · pitcher · mate · chest · shower · stick · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. current — of water
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — to breed
  7. shower — rain
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. chest — a box
  10. pound — a weight
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cell — a phone
  14. current — electric
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mate — a friend
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mate — a partner
  19. current — happening now
  20. chest — of your body
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pitcher — a jug

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