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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. kid — to tease
  3. can — a tin
  4. row — a line
  5. saw — the tool
  6. current — of water
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bass — the fish
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. current — electric
  16. kid — child
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. spell — magic
  19. bass — low music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. can — a tin
  22. spell — letters
  23. saw — the tool
  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