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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. net — after costs
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pass — a permit
  5. row — a line
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. current — electric
  8. net — in sport
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. current — happening now
  15. row — to paddle
  16. net — for catching
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wake — to stop sleeping

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