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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: game · firm · chair · net · ground · stick · current · kick

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. net — for catching
  4. current — electric
  5. net — after costs
  6. firm — steady
  7. game — wild animals
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. current — happening now
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chair — a leader
  16. firm — a company
  17. current — of water
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kick — in football
  21. firm — decided
  22. ground — a position
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. net — in sport

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