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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · current · cap · mug · fork · field · racket · toast

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. net — after costs
  3. current — electric
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. current — of water
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mug — a cup
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. cap — a hat
  12. current — happening now
  13. cap — a lid
  14. field — farmland
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. fork — in a road
  19. net — in sport
  20. mug — a face
  21. net — for catching
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mug — to rob

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