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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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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: lie · game · current · content · toast · net · saw · leaves

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. content — happy
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. game — wild animals
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. current — happening now
  11. saw — the tool
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. content — the amount
  16. game — a match
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. net — for catching
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. net — in sport
  21. current — of water
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. net — after costs
  24. saw — the tool

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