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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: net · fall · current · march · suit · jam · chest · spring

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. march — the month
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. net — for catching
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fall — to drop
  7. current — of water
  8. suit — in cards
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. current — electric
  11. net — after costs
  12. spring — a coil
  13. net — in sport
  14. spring — the season
  15. fall — the season
  16. chest — of your body
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit
  19. spring — of water
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. current — happening now
  24. chest — a box

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