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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. fine — all right
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. current — electric
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. hand — in cards
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — help
  17. pit — a hole
  18. last — final
  19. can — a tin
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. hand — part of the body

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