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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spell — a short time
  8. net — for catching
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. current — of water
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitch — completely
  20. net — in sport
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. perch — the fish
  23. current — happening now
  24. racket — for tennis

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