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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: ruler · fall · current · sharp · net · club · wake · season

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. club — a group
  5. current — happening now
  6. net — in sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. current — of water
  11. season — of the year
  12. fall — to drop
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fall — the season
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. season — in sport

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