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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. land — to come down
  5. current — of water
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chair — a leader
  8. land — ground
  9. current — happening now
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. land — a country
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. current — electric
  20. cap — a hat
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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