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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rest — a break
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. rule — a law
  8. net — for catching
  9. current — electric
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rule — government
  17. rest — what's left
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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