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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. land — to come down
  7. pop — music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. current — of water
  10. bore — to tire
  11. current — happening now
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. net — in sport
  17. current — electric
  18. rest — a break
  19. pop — soda
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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