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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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. track — to keep track
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. current — happening now
  11. wind — moving air
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. track — a song
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. track — a path
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. net — for catching
  19. current — of water
  20. net — in sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rush — hurry

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