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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. current — happening now
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. kick — in football
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. capital — a city
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. shower — to wash
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. prune — to trim
  18. capital — money
  19. shower — rain
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. arm — part of the body
  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