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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 116 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: bay · current · shower · snap · cabinet · mug · cap · file

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mug — a face
  3. snap — to click
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cap — of ice
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cap — a lid
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. current — electric
  19. file — a line of people
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. current — of water
  24. mug — to rob

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