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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. current — electric
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. net — in sport
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. current — of water
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fine — all right
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — for catching
  13. land — ground
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fine — high quality
  16. land — to come down
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. net — after costs
  19. land — a country
  20. track — a song
  21. current — happening now
  22. lie — to recline
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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