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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mark — a grade
  4. current — of water
  5. dip — to sink
  6. present — there
  7. court — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. court — of a king
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. net — for catching
  17. present — the time now
  18. mark — a trace
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — a gift
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. court — of law

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