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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of a king
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. lean — thin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. current — of water
  11. field — a subject
  12. court — of law
  13. can — to be able to
  14. lean — to bend
  15. file — a tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. file — a document
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. current — electric
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. file — a line of people
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mouse — the animal
  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