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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. can — a tin
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. current — electric
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. current — happening now
  18. cold — an illness
  19. can — to be able to
  20. current — of water
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitcher — a jug

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