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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: coach · cell · firm · net · fan · current · bowl · pitcher

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. current — happening now
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. net — in sport
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. firm — steady
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. firm — a company
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. firm — decided
  18. net — for catching
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. current — of water
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — electric
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bowl — a dish

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