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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. current — of water
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. net — for catching
  6. drill — a practice
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. current — happening now
  9. kid — child
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. land — to come down
  13. tube — the underground
  14. land — a country
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. net — after costs
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. land — ground
  22. kid — to tease
  23. current — electric
  24. pop — to visit

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