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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
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: current · game · ball · arm · net · chair · sharp · object

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. net — after costs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ball — a dance
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. object — a thing
  8. current — electric
  9. object — to protest
  10. net — for catching
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. net — in sport
  15. current — of water
  16. ball — a great time
  17. object — an aim
  18. game — wild animals
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. game — a match
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. current — happening now
  23. chair — a leader
  24. sharp — clever

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