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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kid — child
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pass — a permit
  6. current — electric
  7. file — a document
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. file — a tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rule — government
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. object — to protest
  16. current — happening now
  17. object — an aim
  18. can — to be able to
  19. current — of water
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rule — a law
  22. object — a thing
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. can — a tin

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