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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — rain
  4. current — happening now
  5. pop — to visit
  6. net — in sport
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tube — the underground
  10. current — of water
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. tube — a container
  21. current — electric
  22. net — after costs
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitch — completely

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