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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: rush · cabinet · game · track · current · bat · net · press

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. current — electric
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. net — in sport
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. current — happening now
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. track — a path
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. game — a match
  13. current — of water
  14. press — newspapers
  15. net — for catching
  16. game — wild animals
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bat — the animal
  19. press — to push
  20. track — a song
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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