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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 · cap · band · net · key · field · deal · mine

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cap — a lid
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. current — of water
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. net — after costs
  14. key — for a lock
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. key — the most important part
  19. current — electric
  20. field — a subject
  21. current — happening now
  22. cap — of ice
  23. key — in music
  24. deal — to handle

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