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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. net — in sport
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. net — after costs
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rash — a series
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. current — happening now
  14. net — for catching
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rash — hasty
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bound — certain
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bound — tied together
  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