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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. file — a tool
  3. current — happening now
  4. row — a line
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. can — a tin
  9. land — a country
  10. current — of water
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. land — ground
  13. chair — a leader
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. can — to be able to
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. file — a line of people
  21. land — to come down
  22. current — electric
  23. squash — to crush
  24. file — a document

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