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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. current — happening now
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. current — electric
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. clip — a video
  17. net — for catching
  18. clip — for paper
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. current — of water
  22. bore — to drill
  23. net — after costs
  24. pop — music

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