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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. net — in sport
  3. field — for sport
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. net — for catching
  6. court — for sport
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. field — farmland
  14. rest — a break
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rest — what's left
  19. field — a subject
  20. court — of a king
  21. net — after costs
  22. court — of law
  23. bear — the animal
  24. current — happening now

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