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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. net — for catching
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pitch — completely
  20. track — a song
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. net — in sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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