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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pass — a permit
  5. current — happening now
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. net — in sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. net — after costs
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bound — certain
  23. net — for catching
  24. bound — obliged

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