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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. last — finally
  3. bass — low music
  4. current — electric
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fall — to drop
  7. can — a tin
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. last — to go on
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fall — the season
  14. bass — the fish
  15. last — final
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — child
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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