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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. saw — the tool
  3. current — of water
  4. net — after costs
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — electric
  7. file — a line of people
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. file — a tool
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. file — a document
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. tube — a container
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. tube — the underground
  22. foot — a measure
  23. current — happening now
  24. kick — in football

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