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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. net — in sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. net — for catching
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. current — of water
  7. swing — music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. swing — in golf
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. swing — to play on
  15. snap — to click
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. current — electric
  21. net — after costs
  22. current — happening now
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. nail — for a hammer

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