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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. can — a tin
  3. game — wild animals
  4. current — electric
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — to wash
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. content — the amount
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wake — a trail
  14. shower — rain
  15. game — a match
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. current — of water
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. current — happening now
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. content — happy
  24. wake — before a funeral

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