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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cue — a hint
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. mug — a cup
  6. swing — music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cue — for pool
  10. dip — to sink
  11. net — for catching
  12. mug — a face
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. current — electric
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. swing — in golf
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cue — a signal
  23. mate — a friend
  24. dip — a sauce

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