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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 · scale · bank · hide · pit · net · ground · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. scale — in music
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. current — happening now
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. net — in sport
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bank — for money
  10. current — of water
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bank — for money
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. ground — a position
  21. bank — of a river
  22. current — electric
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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