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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rash — hasty
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. current — happening now
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. race — the arms race
  8. plane — a tool
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. net — after costs
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. current — electric
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. net — in sport
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. net — for catching
  24. dip — to sink

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