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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. current — electric
  3. game — a match
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. charge — in control
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. current — happening now
  8. net — after costs
  9. charge — electricity
  10. snap — to click
  11. current — of water
  12. pitch — completely
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. net — in sport
  15. game — wild animals
  16. charge — a price
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. game — a kind of play

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