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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · chair · mug · racket · tear · saw · hide · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. current — happening now
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mug — to rob
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. can — a tin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. tear — to rip
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mug — a cup
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mug — a face
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. tear — from crying

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