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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: ball · leaves · rule · row · net · game · current · rash

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. rule — government
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. game — a match
  7. rule — a law
  8. current — electric
  9. net — after costs
  10. rash — a series
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. row — a line
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. row — to paddle
  16. net — in sport
  17. rash — hasty
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. net — for catching
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rule — to rule out

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