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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: hand · pit · net · fork · arm · cold · current · press

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. net — after costs
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. press — to push
  5. fork — in a road
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. press — a publisher
  11. net — for catching
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pit — in a race
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. hand — in cards
  17. current — happening now
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. pit — a hole
  20. hand — help
  21. cold — not warm
  22. current — of water
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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