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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cell — in biology
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. track — a path
  9. current — of water
  10. snap — to click
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pit — in a race
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. cell — a phone
  17. net — in sport
  18. pit — a hole
  19. current — happening now
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. current — electric
  23. firm — a company
  24. net — for catching

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