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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. current — happening now
  5. net — for catching
  6. bore — to tire
  7. current — electric
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. current — of water
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pop — soda
  13. bore — to drill
  14. net — after costs
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. net — in sport
  17. pop — music
  18. ball — a great time
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pop — to visit
  22. deal — to handle
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ball — a round shape

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