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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. drill — the tool
  6. current — happening now
  7. net — in sport
  8. drill — a practice
  9. net — for catching
  10. rest — a break
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. current — of water
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. current — electric
  21. pit — in a race
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. drill — army training
  24. mine — for digging

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