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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: current · net · mate · fall · date · dip · swing · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mate — to breed
  6. swing — to play on
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — in sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fall — to drop
  12. current — electric
  13. fall — the season
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. current — happening now
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mate — a friend
  21. swing — music
  22. current — of water
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. dip — a sauce

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