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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: fine · ground · shower · current · race · perch · cold · squash

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. perch — the fish
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cold — an illness
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. current — happening now
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ground — a position
  9. race — the arms race
  10. shower — to wash
  11. race — a contest
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — the sport
  15. race — humankind
  16. shower — rain
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fine — high quality
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fine — all right
  21. cold — not warm
  22. ground — crushed
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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