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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: net · current · lean · pit · cue · tear · spell · game

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. spell — letters
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cue — a hint
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. current — of water
  8. cue — a signal
  9. lean — to bend
  10. game — a match
  11. lean — thin
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pit — a hole
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — in a race
  18. net — after costs
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. net — in sport
  21. spell — magic
  22. current — happening now
  23. net — for catching
  24. cue — for pool

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