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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: current · chip · shower · capital · safe · toast · last · fan

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. last — final
  3. toast — bread
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — electric
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. last — finally
  13. shower — rain
  14. chip — to eat
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chip — for betting
  17. current — happening now
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. last — to go on

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