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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: toast · row · hide · current · fan · foot · cell · object

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cell — a phone
  7. current — happening now
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. object — to protest
  10. row — a line
  11. current — electric
  12. cell — in biology
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — a thing
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. row — to paddle
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. toast — bread
  23. current — of water
  24. hide — to keep secret

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