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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. net — for catching
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pop — music
  11. current — happening now
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. tube — a container
  17. net — after costs
  18. tube — the underground
  19. sharp — clever
  20. net — in sport
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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