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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. club — a group
  3. can — a tin
  4. current — of water
  5. mug — a cup
  6. hand — help
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. kid — to tease
  12. can — a tin
  13. mug — a face
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. club — for golf
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. current — electric
  20. mug — to rob
  21. kid — child
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fork — in a road
  24. leaves — to go away

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