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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pitch — completely
  6. net — for catching
  7. bulb — for light
  8. current — electric
  9. net — in sport
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bulb — for light
  12. toast — bread
  13. band — a ring
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. current — of water
  19. band — a music group
  20. fork — in a road
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. current — happening now

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