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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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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: net · mark · pop · charge · tear · scale · current · cold

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. current — of water
  4. charge — in control
  5. scale — in music
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pop — music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cold — an illness
  10. net — after costs
  11. current — happening now
  12. charge — a price
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pop — soda
  15. tear — from crying
  16. current — electric
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. net — for catching
  19. mark — a trace
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pop — to visit
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mark — a grade

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