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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. net — after costs
  3. mate — to breed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a line
  6. current — happening now
  7. wind — moving air
  8. club — for golf
  9. net — in sport
  10. stock — goods
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. club — a group
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. net — for catching
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. mate — a friend
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stock — shares
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — moving air

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