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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cap — of ice
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. lean — thin
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — a subject
  8. shower — to wash
  9. field — farmland
  10. current — electric
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. current — happening now
  15. ball — a great time
  16. current — of water
  17. ball — a dance
  18. field — for sport
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cap — a lid

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