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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. net — after costs
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. current — of water
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. squash — to crush
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. current — happening now
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. net — for catching
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. current — electric
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — the sport
  19. tube — the underground
  20. dip — to sink
  21. net — in sport
  22. tube — a container
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. jam — in traffic

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