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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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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: chair · kid · lean · shower · plane · racket · current · bay

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chair — a leader
  3. kid — child
  4. lean — thin
  5. shower — to wash
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. current — happening now
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. current — of water
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. shower — rain
  19. kid — to tease
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lean — to bend
  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