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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. net — for catching
  4. mark — a trace
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. degree — an amount
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. degree — temperature
  11. current — electric
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. current — happening now
  18. mark — a grade
  19. net — in sport
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. degree — from a university
  23. wax — to grow
  24. current — of water

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