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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rule — government
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — rain
  6. file — a line of people
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. shower — to wash
  12. staff — employees
  13. current — electric
  14. wound — an injury
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. current — of water
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rule — a law
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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