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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: shower · fine · current · ground · chest · rush · bay · bowl

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. ground — a position
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. shower — rain
  5. rush — hurry
  6. current — of water
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. current — happening now
  13. chest — a box
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fine — all right
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. current — electric
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bowl — a football final

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