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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. net — after costs
  5. rest — what's left
  6. current — happening now
  7. last — finally
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cue — a signal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. row — a line
  17. last — final
  18. net — for catching
  19. last — to go on
  20. spring — the season
  21. current — electric
  22. rest — a break
  23. current — of water
  24. rest — what's left

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