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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. race — humankind
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bore — to drill
  7. race — the arms race
  8. current — electric
  9. bore — to tire
  10. can — a tin
  11. current — happening now
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. can — to be able to
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. scale — in music
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. race — a contest
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. current — of water
  24. scale — size or range

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