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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. net — after costs
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. track — a path
  6. rush — hurry
  7. track — a song
  8. face — part of the head
  9. current — of water
  10. net — for catching
  11. club — for dancing
  12. current — electric
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. current — happening now
  17. track — to keep track
  18. face — to confront
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. net — in sport
  23. club — for golf
  24. game — a match

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