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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. net — after costs
  3. bulb — for light
  4. current — electric
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mark — a trace
  7. sharp — clever
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mark — a grade
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. net — in sport
  12. land — ground
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. game — wild animals
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. game — a match
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. land — a country
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. net — for catching
  23. land — to come down
  24. sharp — with an edge

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