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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. net — after costs
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bound — obliged
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. hand — help
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. chip — for betting
  20. kick — in football
  21. bound — certain
  22. chip — to eat
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. current — happening now

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