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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. content — happy
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. current — of water
  9. content — the amount
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bound — tied together
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. current — happening now
  17. chest — a box
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — humankind
  20. current — electric
  21. shower — rain
  22. rush — hurry
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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