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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: current · pitcher · wake · chest · pop · racket · net · mouse

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. current — happening now
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. current — of water
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pop — soda
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — for catching
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pop — music
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. net — in sport
  21. current — electric
  22. chest — a box
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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