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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rule — a law
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. current — of water
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — for digging
  19. current — happening now
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chair — a professorship
  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