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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. current — happening now
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. tube — a container
  11. object — to protest
  12. chip — to eat
  13. shower — rain
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cap — a lid
  18. current — of water
  19. rule — government
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. current — electric
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cap — of ice

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