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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 · shower · pound · game · rash · fine · key · chair

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. current — of water
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. current — happening now
  10. shower — to wash
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. game — a match
  14. chair — a leader
  15. current — electric
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fine — all right
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pound — to hit hard

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