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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. current — happening now
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cold — not warm
  6. file — a tool
  7. board — to get on
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cold — an illness
  11. file — a document
  12. current — electric
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. current — of water
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. can — a tin
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. file — a line of people
  23. board — a committee
  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