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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. net — for catching
  3. current — happening now
  4. net — in sport
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pass — a permit
  8. net — after costs
  9. current — electric
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. date — the fruit
  20. saw — the tool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. date — on the calendar
  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