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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: safe · chip · chair · object · shower · mug · march · current

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. current — of water
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. object — to protest
  7. mug — a cup
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chip — to eat
  10. march — the month
  11. object — an aim
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mug — a face
  15. object — a thing
  16. mug — to rob
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. shower — rain
  20. current — happening now
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. chip — for betting
  23. current — electric
  24. shower — to wash

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