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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: bat · current · perch · race · net · ruler · mate · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — a partner
  3. perch — the fish
  4. current — happening now
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. net — in sport
  10. race — a contest
  11. land — to come down
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mate — a friend
  14. race — humankind
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. land — a country
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. net — after costs
  20. mate — to breed
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. net — for catching

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