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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wound — an injury
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chip — to eat
  7. current — of water
  8. rock — music
  9. key — in music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. can — a tin
  12. current — happening now
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rock — a stone
  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