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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cold — not warm
  4. current — happening now
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. can — a tin
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rash — hasty
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. plane — a tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cold — an illness
  18. current — of water
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rash — a series
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. current — electric

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