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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bass — the fish
  6. court — of a king
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bass — low music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. current — electric
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. can — a tin
  14. pound — a weight
  15. court — for sport
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. hand — in cards
  18. court — of law
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cold — an illness
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. hand — help
  24. saw — the tool

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