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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. tube — the underground
  3. net — after costs
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. charge — a price
  6. rash — hasty
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. charge — in control
  13. field — a subject
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. rash — a series
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. charge — electricity
  20. current — happening now
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. net — in sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pass — to succeed

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