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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · current · bay · clip · net · key · wind · arm

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. net — after costs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. current — happening now
  9. net — in sport
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. current — electric
  13. clip — a video
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. net — for catching
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — a weight

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