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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — electric
  3. net — for catching
  4. face — to confront
  5. cold — not warm
  6. current — happening now
  7. face — part of the head
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. track — a path
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. face — to point toward
  24. current — of water

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