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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. track — a path
  4. current — electric
  5. net — after costs
  6. race — humankind
  7. ball — a great time
  8. net — for catching
  9. capital — money
  10. current — happening now
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. track — a song
  13. tear — from crying
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. tear — to rip
  17. ball — a dance
  18. race — the arms race
  19. capital — a city
  20. track — to keep track
  21. tear — from crying
  22. current — of water
  23. race — a contest
  24. net — in sport

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