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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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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: foot · hand · mug · file · nail · current · march · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hand — help
  3. current — happening now
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mug — a face
  6. current — electric
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. current — of water
  9. can — to be able to
  10. march — the month
  11. file — a tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. foot — a measure
  14. march — music
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. can — a tin
  19. mug — a cup
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — to rob
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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