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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rest — what's left
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. file — a line of people
  6. race — the arms race
  7. key — for a lock
  8. race — a contest
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. current — of water
  12. key — the most important part
  13. file — a document
  14. key — in music
  15. file — a tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rest — a break
  18. capital — a city
  19. current — electric
  20. race — humankind
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rest — what's left

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