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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. band — a ring
  5. current — electric
  6. band — a music group
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. cue — a signal
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. current — happening now
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. foot — a measure
  23. current — of water
  24. fork — in a road

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