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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 116 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: current · game · race · net · lash · capital · hand · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. net — after costs
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. race — the arms race
  5. current — of water
  6. net — in sport
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. current — happening now
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. race — a contest
  11. capital — a city
  12. current — electric
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. capital — money
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — for catching
  20. hand — help
  21. race — humankind
  22. game — wild animals
  23. hand — in cards
  24. game — a match

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