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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: current · nail · mine · net · drill · season · content · cue

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. current — happening now
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. season — in sport
  9. content — the amount
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. current — electric
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. current — of water
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. season — of the year
  22. net — in sport
  23. cue — a hint
  24. drill — army training

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