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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. current — happening now
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wound — an injury
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — in sport
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. firm — decided
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. charge — a price
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wound — an injury
  18. net — for catching
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. net — after costs
  21. charge — in control
  22. firm — a company
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. firm — steady

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