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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.

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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: pit · wake · saw · swing · net · current · kid · hide

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. current — happening now
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wake — a trail
  11. current — electric
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. current — of water
  15. swing — to play on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pit — in a race
  20. net — for catching
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. saw — the tool
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pit — a hole

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