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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. current — happening now
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cue — a hint
  9. game — a match
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. net — in sport
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. suit — in cards
  18. current — of water
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cold — an illness
  21. current — electric
  22. mate — a partner
  23. net — for catching
  24. suit — to fit

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