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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. current — of water
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. charge — in control
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. net — for catching
  11. current — electric
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. snap — to click
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. current — happening now
  17. fall — to drop
  18. charge — electricity
  19. net — in sport
  20. fork — in a road
  21. charge — a price
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fork — to eat with

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