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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. current — of water
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fork — in a road
  9. current — happening now
  10. race — the arms race
  11. root — the cause
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. tube — the underground
  14. root — of a word
  15. race — a contest
  16. drill — army training
  17. rule — a law
  18. drill — the tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. current — electric
  22. root — of a plant
  23. drill — a practice
  24. race — humankind

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