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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. last — to go on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. last — finally
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. roll — a cake
  8. last — final
  9. hand — in cards
  10. roll — a list
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rash — hasty
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. can — a tin
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. hand — help
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. current — of water
  24. roll — on a roll

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