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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pop — to visit
  3. clip — a video
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. net — for catching
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pop — soda
  14. saw — the tool
  15. net — in sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. current — of water
  22. pop — music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. safe — out of danger

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