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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. current — of water
  3. can — a tin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. shower — to wash
  7. squash — to crush
  8. shower — rain
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — the sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. court — of law
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. current — happening now
  20. court — of a king
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. court — for sport
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. current — electric

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