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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: net · bore · current · swing · game · stand · pass · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. net — in sport
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bore — to tire
  6. net — for catching
  7. snap — to click
  8. bore — to drill
  9. net — after costs
  10. game — wild animals
  11. current — electric
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. current — happening now
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. current — of water
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. swing — music
  21. game — a match
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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