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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wind — moving air
  6. shower — rain
  7. current — happening now
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. current — electric
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pass — a permit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wind — moving air
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. current — of water
  24. shower — to wash

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