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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. can — a tin
  3. land — ground
  4. net — in sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. net — after costs
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. can — a tin
  11. net — for catching
  12. current — of water
  13. lie — to recline
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bound — tied together
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — a country
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — to come down
  23. current — electric
  24. straw — dry grass

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