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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. scale — size or range
  3. drill — a practice
  4. current — of water
  5. net — for catching
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cap — of ice
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cap — a hat
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. drill — army training
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. staff — employees
  15. hand — help
  16. scale — in music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. net — in sport
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. current — happening now
  22. drill — the tool
  23. current — electric
  24. hand — part of the body

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