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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. current — happening now
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. sharp — clever
  5. net — in sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. net — for catching
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fall — the season
  11. capital — money
  12. current — of water
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. capital — a city
  18. net — after costs
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fall — to drop
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. current — electric

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