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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. row — to paddle
  4. current — electric
  5. perch — the fish
  6. current — of water
  7. cue — a hint
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. current — happening now
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cue — for pool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. net — in sport
  16. snap — to click
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — moving air
  21. net — for catching
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. row — a line

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