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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. row — a line
  2. can — a tin
  3. track — a song
  4. craft — a skill
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. track — to keep track
  8. current — of water
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rash — a series
  12. row — to paddle
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. can — a tin
  15. track — a path
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. current — electric
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. content — the amount
  20. perch — the fish
  21. content — happy
  22. craft — boats
  23. rash — hasty
  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