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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: chair · dip · current · pitcher · game · shower · lash · bulb

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. dip — to sink
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bulb — for light
  13. shower — rain
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. current — happening now

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