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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. track — a path
  3. mug — a cup
  4. track — a song
  5. wax — to grow
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rest — a break
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. capital — money
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. charge — a price
  14. capital — a city
  15. shower — to wash
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mug — a face
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rest — what's left
  21. charge — in control
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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