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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. can — a tin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. current — of water
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. clip — for paper
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — to protest
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. clip — a video

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