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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: roll · rush · net · mark · current · calf · fall · cold

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. current — electric
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. net — for catching
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. current — happening now
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. net — after costs
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mark — a trace
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cold — an illness
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fall — the season
  22. current — of water
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mark — a grade

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