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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. tube — the underground
  3. shower — rain
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rule — government
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. foot — a measure
  13. craft — boats
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. capital — money
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. current — of water
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. fork — in a road
  23. capital — a city
  24. rule — a law

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