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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. field — farmland
  5. firm — steady
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mate — a friend
  9. date — the fruit
  10. current — of water
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. firm — decided
  13. field — for sport
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. field — a subject
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bass — low music
  18. net — after costs
  19. mate — a partner
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — for catching
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. firm — a company

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