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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. last — final
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bore — to drill
  10. track — a song
  11. bass — the fish
  12. current — happening now
  13. saw — the tool
  14. last — to go on
  15. rash — hasty
  16. track — to keep track
  17. current — electric
  18. bore — to tire
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — of water
  21. last — finally
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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