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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. can — a tin
  7. current — of water
  8. charge — a price
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. current — electric
  18. can — to be able to
  19. charge — in control
  20. current — happening now
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. charge — electricity
  24. track — a song

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