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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. can — a tin
  4. current — electric
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lean — thin
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. track — a path
  17. current — of water
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. track — to keep track
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. track — a song
  24. current — happening now

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