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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: net · current · rest · bass · race · ground · cabinet · spring

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. current — electric
  3. net — in sport
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rest — what's left
  6. race — the arms race
  7. current — of water
  8. ground — a position
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. net — for catching
  14. bass — low music
  15. race — humankind
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. net — after costs
  21. spring — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ground — crushed

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