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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. roll — a cake
  3. current — of water
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — from a university
  6. can — a tin
  7. tear — to rip
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. current — happening now
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — an amount
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. tear — from crying
  20. can — to be able to
  21. degree — temperature
  22. squash — the sport
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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