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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · mouse · fork · nail · foot · rule · cold · capital

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rule — government
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. capital — money
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cold — an illness
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cold — not warm
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. capital — a city
  13. current — happening now
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fork — in a road
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. foot — the bottom

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