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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 120 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: capital · bore · fan · shower · chair · swing · hide · current

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. current — happening now
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. current — of water
  6. capital — a city
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. shower — to wash
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chair — a leader
  15. current — electric
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bore — to tire
  19. swing — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. capital — money
  22. bore — to drill
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chair — a professorship

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