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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. current — happening now
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. current — electric
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. capital — money
  13. content — the amount
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. current — of water
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. capital — a city
  20. net — in sport
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. game — a match
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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