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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. net — in sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. current — electric
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rash — a series
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mark — a trace
  16. current — happening now
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. file — a line of people
  19. current — of water
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rash — hasty

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