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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. current — happening now
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — farmland
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pop — music
  9. can — a tin
  10. current — electric
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pop — to visit
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bear — the animal
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. cap — a hat
  21. current — of water
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. can — to be able to

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