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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. tube — a container
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. ball — a dance
  7. field — farmland
  8. current — happening now
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rule — a law
  11. field — for sport
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. current — electric
  16. field — a subject
  17. toast — bread
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rule — government
  20. ball — a great time
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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