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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. swing — music
  3. bass — low music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. swing — in golf
  6. current — happening now
  7. net — in sport
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. foot — a measure
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. swing — to play on
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — for catching
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. spell — magic
  23. pound — a weight
  24. spell — letters

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