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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. perch — the fish
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. shower — to wash
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. firm — decided
  7. can — to be able to
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. file — a line of people
  12. current — of water
  13. firm — a company
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. shower — rain
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. pop — music
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. can — a tin
  22. firm — steady
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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