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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: rush · chest · current · fine · net · roll · spell · firm

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. spell — letters
  3. net — in sport
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chest — a box
  9. roll — a list
  10. firm — a company
  11. spell — magic
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. net — for catching
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chest — of your body
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. roll — a cake
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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