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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. current — electric
  3. season — of the year
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. current — happening now
  6. clip — to cut
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. current — of water
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. clip — a video
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — in sport
  21. club — a group
  22. clip — for paper
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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