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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. net — in sport
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. net — for catching
  7. wound — an injury
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. current — electric
  11. track — a song
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rest — what's left
  17. present — a gift
  18. current — happening now
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. current — of water
  24. net — after costs

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