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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. root — of a word
  5. mate — a friend
  6. current — happening now
  7. spell — letters
  8. net — for catching
  9. mate — to breed
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mate — a partner
  12. snap — to click
  13. root — the cause
  14. current — electric
  15. spell — a short time
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spell — magic
  18. current — of water

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