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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fork — in a road
  3. net — in sport
  4. chest — a box
  5. current — electric
  6. game — a match
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. current — of water
  9. chest — of your body
  10. net — after costs
  11. bore — to tire
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bore — to drill
  14. current — happening now
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bass — low music
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. game — wild animals
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bass — the fish

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