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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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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: net · wind · current · sharp · land · deal · temple · stick

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. current — electric
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wind — moving air
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. current — of water
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. land — ground
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. current — happening now
  24. net — for catching

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