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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. game — wild animals
  3. current — of water
  4. fall — the season
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. foot — a measure
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. prune — to trim
  14. suit — to fit
  15. current — happening now
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cell — in biology
  18. net — in sport
  19. game — a match
  20. net — after costs
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. suit — clothes
  23. current — electric
  24. suit — in cards

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