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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bass — the fish
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cap — a hat
  10. can — a tin
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bass — low music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rest — a break
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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