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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: mouse · bear · current · chip · field · net · cold · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. current — electric
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. net — for catching
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. field — farmland
  10. current — of water
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bass — low music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. current — happening now
  19. net — in sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. net — after costs

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