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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: mate · land · lie · rest · roll · swing · net · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. swing — to play on
  3. net — in sport
  4. swing — in golf
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mate — to breed
  8. current — electric
  9. rest — what's left
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. land — to come down
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — ground
  14. net — after costs
  15. land — a country
  16. roll — a list
  17. rest — a break
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. swing — music
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rest — what's left
  22. net — for catching
  23. current — happening now
  24. mate — a friend

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