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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. net — after costs
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stem — to come from
  10. current — electric
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. net — in sport
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. hand — help
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. current — of water
  18. net — for catching
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. current — happening now
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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