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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: foot · suit · chest · shower · can · bat · current · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. current — of water
  5. shower — rain
  6. suit — in cards
  7. foot — a measure
  8. can — a tin
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bat — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. suit — to fit
  15. chest — a box
  16. current — electric
  17. shower — to wash
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. can — to be able to
  20. chest — of your body
  21. can — a tin
  22. suit — clothes
  23. chest — of your body
  24. current — happening now

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