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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. season — of the year
  3. net — in sport
  4. firm — steady
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. season — in sport
  9. current — of water
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. firm — decided
  14. current — electric
  15. key — the most important part
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. firm — a company
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — after costs
  21. wind — moving air
  22. current — happening now
  23. court — of law
  24. mouse — for a computer

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