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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. tube — a container
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rule — a law
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lie — to recline
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. net — for catching
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. chair — a leader
  19. current — of water
  20. rule — government
  21. perch — the fish
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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