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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. object — to protest
  4. file — a document
  5. can — a tin
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. file — a line of people
  8. object — an aim
  9. current — happening now
  10. ground — crushed
  11. file — a tool
  12. ground — a position
  13. rash — a series
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. drill — army training
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. drill — a practice
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rash — hasty
  24. drill — the tool

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