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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 120 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 · pit · drill · bear · safe · track · suit · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. suit — to fit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bear — the animal
  7. drill — a practice
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. suit — in cards
  12. shower — rain
  13. drill — army training
  14. bear — the animal
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. suit — clothes
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. chair — a leader
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pit — in a race

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