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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 120 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 · dip · fan · nail · land · bat · current · kick

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. net — for catching
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. dip — to sink
  7. land — a country
  8. current — electric
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. land — ground
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kick — in football
  14. net — in sport
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. current — of water
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. net — after costs
  21. current — happening now
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. land — to come down
  24. dip — a sauce

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