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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. net — for catching
  4. current — of water
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. net — after costs
  8. board — a committee
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. board — to get on
  11. drill — the tool
  12. current — electric
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. current — happening now
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bat — the animal
  24. drill — army training

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