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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. net — in sport
  3. object — an aim
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. swing — in golf
  6. sharp — clever
  7. land — ground
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. object — to protest
  11. net — after costs
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. tear — from crying
  15. net — for catching
  16. swing — music
  17. rush — hurry
  18. current — of water
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. tear — to rip
  21. object — a thing
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — to come down
  24. swing — to play on

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