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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: current · cold · bore · pitch · jam · net · wake · shower

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. wake — a trail
  4. shower — rain
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. current — of water
  7. net — after costs
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. current — happening now
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. shower — to wash
  16. current — electric
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bore — gave birth

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