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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: shower · current · cap · bass · chip · perch · track · race

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. current — electric
  3. cap — a lid
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bass — low music
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cap — a hat
  8. track — a path
  9. cap — of ice
  10. current — of water
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bass — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. race — humankind
  18. current — happening now
  19. chip — for betting
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. shower — to wash
  22. race — a contest
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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