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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: fork · kid · current · rule · safe · net · band · pitcher

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. net — after costs
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — in a road
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. net — in sport
  10. current — of water
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. net — for catching
  13. kid — child
  14. band — a ring
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. kid — to tease
  18. current — happening now
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. band — a music group
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. current — electric
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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