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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. net — after costs
  9. current — happening now
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. land — ground
  13. can — a tin
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. current — of water
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. can — to be able to
  20. land — a country
  21. current — electric
  22. ground — the earth
  23. land — to come down
  24. chair — a leader

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