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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 120 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: club · game · last · mine · current · saw · racket · mark

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. club — a group
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. current — electric
  11. game — a match
  12. last — final
  13. saw — the tool
  14. current — of water
  15. mark — a trace
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. club — for golf
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — for dancing
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mine — for digging
  24. racket — for tennis

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