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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: season · drill · snap · cap · net · current · rest · file

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rest — what's left
  3. current — of water
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rest — what's left
  7. current — happening now
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. file — a tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. net — in sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. season — in sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. file — a document
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. net — after costs
  18. cap — of ice
  19. net — for catching
  20. season — of the year
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rest — a break
  23. current — electric
  24. file — a line of people

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