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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 116 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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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: stand · key · cap · current · fall · net · kid · snap

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. net — in sport
  3. current — electric
  4. cap — of ice
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. key — for a lock
  7. current — happening now
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. snap — to click
  10. kid — to tease
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. current — of water
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stand — to bear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. net — for catching
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kid — child
  22. net — after costs
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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