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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. land — a country
  3. current — happening now
  4. row — a line
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. row — to paddle
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. chair — a leader
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. tube — a container
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hand — in cards
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. tube — the underground
  15. land — to come down
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. land — ground
  19. dip — to sink
  20. current — of water
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. current — electric
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. hand — help

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