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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. land — ground
  5. season — in sport
  6. lean — thin
  7. land — a country
  8. season — of the year
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. current — of water
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. can — a tin
  15. clip — a video
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. current — electric
  18. clip — to cut
  19. current — happening now
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rest — a break
  22. can — to be able to
  23. lean — to bend
  24. clip — for paper

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