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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 · fan · clip · key · leaves · racket · bass · net

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. key — in music
  4. current — electric
  5. net — for catching
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. current — of water
  12. bass — low music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. current — happening now
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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