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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · march · current · present · game · net · trunk · cell

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. game — wild animals
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. current — happening now
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. ball — a dance
  9. current — electric
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. current — of water
  16. march — the month
  17. present — the time now
  18. ball — a great time
  19. present — there
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. game — a match
  23. cell — a phone
  24. net — after costs

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