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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. net — after costs
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — steady
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. capital — a city
  10. current — electric
  11. last — finally
  12. current — of water
  13. firm — decided
  14. row — a line
  15. net — for catching
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. capital — money
  20. last — final
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rock — music
  23. net — in sport
  24. current — happening now

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