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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: mate · current · stick · net · jam · charge · rest · tear

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tear — from crying
  6. net — for catching
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rest — a break
  10. tear — to rip
  11. current — happening now
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — electric
  14. net — after costs
  15. mate — a friend
  16. current — of water
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. charge — a price
  19. rest — what's left
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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