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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. current — electric
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — to wash
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. snap — to click
  8. shower — rain
  9. mug — a face
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mug — a cup
  14. can — to be able to
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fall — the season
  17. mug — to rob
  18. content — happy
  19. current — of water
  20. content — the amount
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. current — happening now
  24. fall — to drop

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