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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fork — in a road
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. scale — in music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. current — electric
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. scale — size or range
  13. net — for catching
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. net — after costs
  16. current — of water
  17. net — in sport
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bat — the animal
  20. current — happening now
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. scale — for weighing

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