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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. current — of water
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stand — to bear
  5. net — in sport
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. net — after costs
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. scale — in music
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. current — electric
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. net — for catching
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. kid — child
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. current — happening now
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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