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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: fine · last · current · sharp · pit · march · net · track

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. track — a song
  3. net — after costs
  4. track — a path
  5. last — final
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. current — of water
  13. fine — all right
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. fine — high quality
  17. last — to go on
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. march — the month
  23. pit — a hole
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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