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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bass — the fish
  3. net — in sport
  4. cap — of ice
  5. net — after costs
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. current — electric
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bass — low music
  16. current — of water
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. current — happening now
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cap — a lid
  23. net — for catching
  24. wind — moving air

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