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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. net — in sport
  3. current — happening now
  4. fine — all right
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — after costs
  9. bulb — for light
  10. current — of water
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. track — a path
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. track — to keep track
  18. tear — from crying
  19. net — for catching
  20. tear — from crying
  21. current — electric
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. track — a song

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