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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. tube — the underground
  5. field — farmland
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. net — for catching
  8. can — a tin
  9. stand — to bear
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. field — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. current — of water
  17. can — to be able to
  18. court — for sport
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. court — of a king
  21. tube — a container
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. field — a subject

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