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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. current — of water
  3. can — a tin
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. kid — to tease
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — a video
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. can — a tin
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wake — a trail
  22. kid — child
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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