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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 120 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 · safe · season · wound · net · content · saw · mark

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. saw — the tool
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. current — of water
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. net — for catching
  9. wound — an injury
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. season — of the year
  14. current — electric
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. net — in sport
  19. current — happening now
  20. mark — a trace
  21. season — in sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. season — to add flavour

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