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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. land — ground
  9. can — to be able to
  10. capital — money
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. chair — a leader
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. can — a tin
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. capital — a city

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