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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. roll — a cake
  3. can — a tin
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — an injury
  9. current — happening now
  10. pit — in a race
  11. staff — a stick
  12. band — a ring
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. can — a tin
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. staff — employees
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. can — to be able to
  24. band — a music group

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