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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rush — hurry
  3. net — in sport
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. current — of water
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — a partner
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. net — after costs
  10. wind — moving air
  11. net — for catching
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bass — low music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. current — happening now
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bass — the fish

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