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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · net · spell · current · tube · field · straw · mug

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mug — a face
  4. field — for sport
  5. pit — in a race
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. spell — magic
  9. tube — a container
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. field — farmland
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mug — to rob
  16. spell — letters
  17. current — happening now
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. field — a subject
  22. mug — a cup
  23. net — after costs
  24. pit — a hole

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