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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fall — the season
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. pop — music
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pop — soda
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — tied together
  15. current — of water
  16. pop — to visit
  17. current — happening now
  18. net — in sport
  19. pit — in a race
  20. current — electric
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bound — certain
  24. wake — before a funeral

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