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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 124 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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. fall — to drop
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. net — in sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. file — a document
  10. fall — the season
  11. file — a line of people
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ball — a dance
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. file — a tool
  16. squash — the sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fall — to drop
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. squash — to crush

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