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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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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bore — to tire
  3. current — electric
  4. net — in sport
  5. press — a publisher
  6. scale — in music
  7. land — to come down
  8. fine — all right
  9. press — to push
  10. bore — to drill
  11. current — of water
  12. fine — high quality
  13. press — newspapers
  14. ball — a dance
  15. land — ground
  16. current — happening now
  17. land — a country
  18. net — after costs
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. net — for catching
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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