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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. current — of water
  3. can — to be able to
  4. object — an aim
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fall — to drop
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — to protest
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fall — the season
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rock — music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mug — a face
  18. can — a tin
  19. rock — a stone
  20. shower — rain
  21. current — happening now
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. can — a tin
  24. current — electric

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