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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. row — a line
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bore — to tire
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. current — of water
  11. march — the month
  12. net — for catching
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. row — to paddle
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — a measure
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. net — in sport
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. net — after costs
  24. current — happening now

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