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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 124 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. court — of law
  8. current — of water
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pit — in a race
  12. court — of a king
  13. roll — a list
  14. court — for sport
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. swing — music
  17. net — after costs
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. current — electric
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. net — in sport
  22. roll — a cake
  23. net — for catching
  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