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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. content — the amount
  6. game — wild animals
  7. current — electric
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. current — of water
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. current — happening now
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. tear — from crying
  16. content — happy
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — for catching
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tear — to rip
  24. game — a match

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