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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 120 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
468
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 · can · club · mug · game · net · craft

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. club — for dancing
  3. current — of water
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mug — a face
  6. club — for golf
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mug — a cup
  9. net — after costs
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. current — happening now
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. can — a tin
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. net — for catching
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. club — a group
  20. game — a match
  21. net — in sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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