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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. tube — a container
  4. rock — a stone
  5. tube — the underground
  6. court — of a king
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. row — a line
  9. clip — for paper
  10. net — in sport
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. clip — to cut
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. net — after costs
  16. clip — a video
  17. net — for catching
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rock — music
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. current — happening now
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. rock — to move gently

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