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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: content · pitcher · current · rule · net · swing · prune · snap

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. current — electric
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — the amount
  5. current — of water
  6. content — happy
  7. snap — to click
  8. rule — a law
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — after costs
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. net — for catching
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. current — happening now
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — music
  19. net — in sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rule — government
  23. prune — to trim
  24. swing — in golf

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