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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. current — happening now
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mark — a grade
  10. current — of water
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bass — low music
  14. capital — a city
  15. current — electric
  16. net — for catching
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. capital — money
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mark — a trace

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