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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: spell · chest · row · net · sharp · current · deal · nail

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — a box
  8. net — after costs
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spell — magic
  11. row — a line
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chest — of your body
  15. net — in sport
  16. spell — letters
  17. row — to paddle
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. current — of water
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. sharp — clever
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. spell — a short time

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