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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. net — after costs
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. net — for catching
  7. current — of water
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. net — in sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a tool
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of a king
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. file — a document
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. court — of law

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