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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
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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: cap · current · pop · net · key · bowl · date · snap

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cap — a hat
  5. snap — to click
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cap — a lid
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. key — in music
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. current — happening now
  16. key — for a lock
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cap — of ice
  20. current — of water
  21. pop — music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. net — after costs
  24. current — electric

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