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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rock — music
  3. foot — a measure
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mug — a face
  17. can — a tin
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. current — electric
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pitch — completely

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