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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. court — of law
  3. field — farmland
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. current — happening now
  8. land — a country
  9. court — for sport
  10. bass — low music
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. bore — to tire
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. land — ground
  17. court — of a king
  18. bore — to drill
  19. tube — the underground
  20. current — electric
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. current — of water
  23. land — to come down
  24. bore — gave birth

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