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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. net — in sport
  5. key — in music
  6. current — electric
  7. land — ground
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. land — to come down
  11. race — a contest
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. current — happening now
  15. scale — size or range
  16. race — the arms race
  17. key — for a lock
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. current — of water
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — a country
  22. race — humankind
  23. stem — to come from
  24. scale — for weighing

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