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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. prune — to trim
  4. can — to be able to
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — a song
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bound — certain
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. game — a match
  14. bound — tied together
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. can — a tin
  18. bound — obliged
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. current — happening now
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bat — the animal
  24. track — a path

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